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LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
PRINCETON, N. J. 


PRESENTED BY 


Division...-=8....... ae @ 


BVi 1520 UST 

Somerndike, John Mason, 18 
-1939. 

The Sunday school in town 
and country 








SLAY OF Pine 
i. . , > 
WF as ing a> 
- , 






Sunday School 
in 
Town and Country 


By 
John M. Somerndike 


_ Philadelphia 
The Westminster Press 
1924 


Copyright, 1924 
By F. M. BraseELMAN 


CONTENTS 


BEEN CLOT esd hate PEE Soke ee ardiete dee bie ie A dw cess d Mes 

I. The Development of the Sunday School Movement..... 9 

II. Organizing and Grading the Sunday School........... 26 

III. The Superintendent and the Pastor.................. 4] 

Rie EID A OUTSOS trea tre ure eh ane cu CLEP Us oir als} ioe 50 

Pee RULING ANC. EXTUIDMEN ties. sca whens See Ge es a ped le 65 
VI. Practical Plans for Building Up the Membership and 

POUMATICLA TICE Be eter aA Ratt ened A gate Rie ls ee ghia 93 

Ber EPORCETROIT: A TAIN ce We te opus i le hs SMS Pi oa aie 109 

VIII. Missionary Instruction and Offerings................. 119 

oma er TUS 1 OF WDTist waels oh ie aly Geaiales viele Scala oe 133 

APPENDICES 

Pe IIELE DELICE Uo57: o/s Pete oie ae. oe ene ay ook we a 141 

SUE IIGLINAAON, DCT VIC’, {ag hie ea) cece bale CORRS Crees 142 
C. Suggested Constitution for a ,Workers’ Conference or 


Bere OCHOOL ABSOCINUONG 9. os a ewin to vo nelned wae 144 


. Sunday School Workers’ Library..................... 148 






Pig: as 
ibe ; 
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xe ly au : 
art w 

















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INTRODUCTION 





One of the most encouraging indications of the growing 
appreciation, on the part of the entire Church, of the im- 
portance of the Christian nurture of children and youth is 
seen in the development of new agencies of religious educa- 
tion within the individual churches. The remarkable 


- growth of the Daily Vacation Bible School movement and 


~ 


the nation-wide interest in various plans of week-day reli- 
gious instruction give unmistakable evidence of the deter- 
mination on the part of all the Protestant Churches that 
every child shall receive his full heritage of Christian 
knowledge and life. 

The development of these newer agencies, however, is 
not intended to supersede the Sunday school, nor are they 
to be considered as substitutes for it. With full recognition 
of the limitations of the Sunday school, we are confronted 
with the fact that it is still the chief agency of religious 
education for children and youth. It occupies a place, 
and wields an influence in the Church, which we should be 
very careful to conserve and enlarge. The Sunday school 
carries the entire responsibility for the Christian instruc- 
tion of the children and youth in nine tenths of the cities, 
towns, and rural communities throughout the United 
States. It enrolls some twenty million children, young 
people, and adults. The flexibility and adaptability of its 
organization enable it to do equally effective work in the 
stately temples of our large cities, in the small one-room 

5 


INTRODUCTION 


churches of the prairies, and in the little red schoolhouses 
in remote and unorganized regions. 

The Sunday school is constantly enlisting new workers. 
The roll of Sunday-school superintendents undergoes a 
complete change every five years. New departmental 
superintendents, secretaries, treasurers, and associate 
superintendents are constantly being inducted into office 
without any special preparation for their tasks. They are 
eager for information concerning the best plans and meth- 
ods of conducting their work, and for a guidebook of 
denominational ideals and policies. Nation-wide corre- 
spondence with these leaders in Sunday-school work, an- 
swering thousands of letters of inquiry concerning the 
various phases of Sunday-school activity, has demonstrated 
the necessity of a manual, containing plans and methods 
which are adaptable to the average Sunday school, which 
may be used as a handbook by Sunday-school superin- 
tendents and their associates, the departmental superin- 
tendents, and other officers. ¥ 

The task was undertaken with the full recognition of the 
wealth of material that is already available for Sunday- 
school workers in various books that have been published 
in recent years, and which every Sunday school should be 
encouraged to place in the workers’ library for reference 
and study. 

This manual is written primarily for our Presbyterian 
Sunday-school constituency of nearly ten thousand church 
schools and more than three thousand mission Sunday 
schools which are being maintained under Presbyterian 
auspices in neighborhoods and communities where there 
are no church organizations. However, the methods sug- 
gested are equally adaptable to Sunday schools of all 

6 


INTRODUCTION 


denominations. I have not hesitated to advocate the 
policy of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. A. with 
reference to lesson courses and other elements of the de- 
nominational program of religious education. Presby- 
terian Sunday-school workers are referred, throughout the 
book, to denominational standards and material for more 
detailed information regarding different aspects of the 
Sunday-school task. 


JoHN M. SOMERNDIKE 
Marcu, 1924 


CHAPTER I 


THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUNDAY 
SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


The Sunday school finds its origin far back in the days of 
antiquity. The Jewish historian, Josephus, has told us 
that, from the days of Moses, the Jews assembled every 
Sabbath to hear the law and learn it accurately, and that so 
thorough was the instruction of the young in the law that 
one ‘‘would more easily repeat all than his own name.” 
The children of Hezekiah attended Bible schools; the re- 
form under Jehoshaphat came through the teaching of the 
law; and in the time of Nehemiah, after the Captivity, we 
have a description of a complete Bible school, fully or- 
ganized and officered. Jewish schools for Bible study were 
eventually established throughout Palestine, and so far- 
reaching was the effect of this teaching upon the nation 
that it became a common saying: “If you would destroy 
the Jews you must destroy the schools.”” In New Testa- 
ment times, Bible schools were maintained in connection 
with the synagogues in every village and town. The 
primitive Church in the early centuries of the Christian era 
adopted the Jewish or catechetical method of religious 
instruction in spreading the gospel. The Apostolic Church 
made the school the connecting link between itself and the 
world. Classes for catechetical instruction were an integral 
part of every church group and into them were gathered 
the children of those who had adopted the Christian faith 
and as many of those outside as could be secured. 

ie 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Jesus Taught the Value of the Child.—Jesus himself set 
the example to his disciples in laying special emphasis upon 
the religious nurture of the child. Too frequently we fail to 
grasp the full import of his words: “Suffer the little chil- — 
dren to come unto me; forbid them not,” and again, ‘‘ Feed 
my lambs.” In the light of such a commission the apostles 
needed neither philosopher nor prophet to point out their 
task to them, nor to demonstrate to them that the progress 
of Christianity depended largely upon the inculcation of 
the principles of true religion in the child’s mind and heart. 


Christianity Spread by the Teaching Process.—That 
these efforts were effectual in winning and training new 
converts for the Christian faith is shown by the edict of 
Julian the Apostate, in the fourth century, barring all 
Christians from teaching in the schools of Rome. He 
realized that only by prohibiting the religious teaching of 
the young could he hope to restrict the progress of Chris- 
tianity. In his “History of the Christian Church,” Dr. 
Schaff says, ‘‘There were no missionary societies, no mis- 
sionary institutions, no organized efforts in the Anti- 
Nicene Age; and yet in less than three hundred years from 
the death of St. John the whole population of the Roman 
Empire, which then represented the civilized world, was 
nominally Christianized.” 


Catechetical Instruction.—It is of interest also to note 
that in these catechumen classes were included the adults 
as well as the children. Lay workers, both men and women, 
were pressed into service as teachers. Indeed, these early 
Bible schools were far nearer to the ideal in this respect 
than the twentieth century Sunday school, which, even — 


with its adult Bible classes, reaches only a small proportion 
10 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


of the adult Church membership. Their course of instruc- 
tion was systematic, beginning with the story of the Crea- 
tion and covering the whole of the Old Testament Scrip- 
tures, the life of our Lord, and appropriate teachings con- 
cerning the application of the gospel to everyday life. The 
faithful reading of the Scriptures was considered an essen- 
tial part of the Christian’s daily habit and the children 
were not only encouraged but also obliged to learn and 
commit to memory large portions of it. Indeed, we are 
told that in those days many persons could be found who 
could recite the entire Old and New Testaments from 
memory. 

From these facts we see that the Bible-school idea is by 
no means of recent origin, but that it has come down to us 
through centuries of strife and bloodshed, surviving eccle- 
siastical conflicts and changes of religious ideals, yet re- 
maining true to its original, divinely appointed purpose to 
teach and train the child, and the adult as well, for the 
higher citizenship of the Kingdom of God. 


Reformation Leaders Emphasized the Instruction of the 
Children.—Coming to the days of the Reformation, we 
find the leaders of Protestantism emphasizing the impor- 
tance of Bible-school instruction. ‘‘ Young children and 
scholars are the need and the source of the Church,”’ said 
Luther; and again, ‘‘Is it not reasonable that every child | 
should know the Gospels at the age of nine or ten?” To. 
encourage such teaching, Luther prepared his Larger and 
Smaller Catechisms. John Calvin shared in these views 
and prepared Bible lessons in French and Latin which were 
translated into various other languages and widely used 
throughout all of Europe. 

11 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


It was at this crisis that the Church of Rome, realizing 
the hopelessness of her defense against the rising tide of 
Reformation sentiment, began to organize her forces for 
the teaching of the children in the principles and precepts — 
of that faith. This led to the founding of the “Society of 
Jesus”? or ‘Company of Jesus” under Ignatius Loyola, 
whose chief aim was to establish schools for the religious 
teaching of the young. The Jesuits applied themselves 
vigorously and ably to their task and built up an elaborate 
and effective system of instruction that has survived until 
the present day. It is universally recognized that these 
schools were the most powerful factor in preserving the 
Roman Catholic faith out of the ruins of the Reformation 
days. Then it was that Francis Xavier, the disciple of 
Loyola, uttered that now famous saying: ‘“‘Give me the 
children until they are seven years old, and I care not who 
has them after.’”’ Never since the days of the Reformation 
has the Roman Church departed a hair’s breadth from the 
principle then so wisely established in giving the child the 
first place in its ministrations and in pastoral care and 
oversight. 


The Neglect of the Teaching Function. — Unfortunately, 
in spite of the emphasis of Luther and his contemporaries 
upon the Bible-school idea for the children, the Protestant 
Church suffered this phase of its activities to fall into 
decline in the years that followed. The use of catechisms 
soon became largely mechanical and the preaching function 
of the Church was more and more emphasized. Instead of 
using the catechism as a guide to the teaching of the 
Scriptures, it became in itself the object of study, and thus — 


the mere learning by rote the questions and answers to be 
12 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


recited week after week soon devitalized the whole scheme 
of Bible-school instruction. In the beginning it was re- 
quired that the pupils should be able not only to recite the 
Scripture but also to explain the meaning of each verse 
according to their own conception of it. 

As the emphasis was placed upon the preaching service 
of the Church, more and more the teaching function fell 
into a decline among all Protestant peoples. With the 
work of Wesley the catechetical method was revived for a 
time through the well-known class-meeting system. Aside 
from Wesley’s work, the Church as a whole suffered its 
teaching function to lapse into disuse and in the seven- 
teenth and eighteenth centuries practically no attention 
was given to the religious training of the young. The Sun- 
day-school idea, a heritage from Old Testament times, be- 
came a relic of the past. 


Robert Raikes.— As has been noted so frequently in reli- 
gious history, night was darkest just before the dawn. 
Toward the close of the eighteenth century, which wit- 
nessed so many events of world interest and far-reaching 
effect, Robert Raikes, a printer of Gloucester, England, 
was moved by the Spirit of God, as we believe, to do some- 
thing to improve the condition of the boys and girls of his 
city who were being neglected by the Church and by their 
parents. Raikes was reared in a Christian home by godly 
parents; his father was the town printer and proprietor of 
a newspaper. In his early manhood, he became interested 
in the work of prison reform, and by his writings and his 
visitation of penal institutions, he endeavored to introduce 
corrective measures. 


Robert Raikes was working to prevent the spread of 
13 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


vicious practices. His work among prisoners was entirely 
in behalf of that principle, but he found that in his attempts 
to reform hardened criminals he was beginning at the 
wrong end. He soon began to realize that far more could © 
be accomplished by the proper training of the children, 
fortifying them against the inroads of temptation and the 
influence of their evil surroundings. When this idea had 
taken possession of him, Raikes lost no time in putting it 
into practice. He sought the assistance of a clergyman, 
Rev. Thomas Stock, to whom he unfolded his plans. The 
latter at once agreed to aid Raikes in carrying them out, 
and together they visited the homes of the poor, persuading 
the parents to permit the children to come on Sundays to a 
house in Sooty Alley, and engaging several women who had 
agreed to undertake the task of teaching them. 


The “Ragged School.’”?—Thus in 1780 in the ‘‘ Ragged 
School,” with its paid teachers receiving a compensation of 
a shilling a week, the foundation of the world-wide institu- 
tion of the Sunday school was laid. For three years Raikes 
carried on this work quietly but effectively, realizing that 
it was entirely an experiment and finding no end of diffi- 
culties and obstacles to be overcome. He persisted, how- 
ever, even in the face of the derision of his friends, and at the 
end of these first three years he had eight Sunday schools, 
of about thirty pupils each, meeting in different parts of the 
city of Gloucester. A change soon began to be seen 
throughout the city. Homes were transformed and even 
the parents were influenced toward better things. As 
Wesley remarked: “Is this not a new thing upon the 
earth? God begins his work in children. Thus the flame ~ 
spreads to those of riper years.” 

14 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


A Successful Experiment.—In 1783, Raikes felt that 
the experiment was a success, and he announced his plan 
to the world. It met with an immediate response from 
all parts of the dominion and inquiries began to pour 
in upon him from those who desired to inaugurate the 
movement in other towns and cities. Raikes decided 
that the quickest and most effectual way of spreading 
the new movement would be to publish it in the lead- 
ing periodicals. Accordingly, in 1784, his plans were fully 
set forth in the ‘‘Gentleman’s Magazine,” of London, 
one of the most influential publications of that period. 
Again, he wrote for the magazine published by John 
Wesley, which was widely circulated among his followers 
and which led him to recommend the establishment of 
Sunday schools in connection with every Methodist Soci- 
ety. Sunday-school boards were organized and general 
Sunday-school societies for the promotion of the move- 
ment were brought into being through the efforts of leading 
men and women of:-England. It is said that even the queen 
was attracted by the wonderful possibilities of the plan and 
expressed her regret that her situation made it imprac- 
ticable for her to participate in it. 


The Rapid Growth of the Sunday-School Movement. — 
Lord Mahon said that the Sunday school organized by 
Robert Raikes was the beginning of a new era in the na- 
tional life of England. Green, the English historian, re- 
ferring to the work of Robert Raikes, wrote, ‘‘It was then 
that the moral, the philanthropic and religious ideas which 
have molded society into its present shape first broke the 
spiritual torpor of the eighteenth century.”’ Within four 
years from the time of the organization of his first school in 

15 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Gloucester, the Sunday schools throughout England had 
more than a quarter of a million pupils enrolled. 

To be strictly accurate, the Sunday school, according to 
the Raikes idea, was entitled to the name mainly because 
it had its sessions on Sunday. It was a philanthropic move- 
ment in behalf of better citizenship. By some, the Raikes 
schools are looked upon rather as the foundation of the 
public-school system than as the revival of the Sunday- 
school idea. However this may be, the fact remains that 
the work of Raikes was the beginning of a definite move- 
ment for the Christian training of children, and that the 
progress and development of the Church Sunday-school 
movement through the labors of others was the outgrowth 
of the interest which he created in his efforts among the 
poor children of his own city. His work gave birth to a 
great ideal, placing the child at the center and building the 
institution to serve the needs of the child. ‘He did not 
foresee the graded organized pedagogical school of the 
twentieth century,” says Dr. Henry F. Cope; “he did not 
have love and faith enough to look forward in the direction 
of that school and to compel many others, his contem- 
poraries and successors, to take the forward look. His 
motives compelled the steps that have gradually brought 
us where we now are.’ 


Making the Sunday School a Bible School.— While 
Raikes was busily engaged in extending his schools, Wil- 
liam Fox, a Baptist layman, started a Bible school at 
Clapton, England, which met on week days, and which, 
like the Raikes schools, also had its paid teachers. In this 
school the Bible only was taught. Later as Fox was led to 

1‘ Evolution of the Sunday School,” by Henry F. Cope. 


16 


. DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


investigate the plans of Raikes, he saw an advantage in 
changing the day of meeting to Sunday. This is thought 
by many to be the real beginning of the modern Sunday 
school. Through the efforts of Fox, the ‘‘Society for the 
Support and Encouragement of Sunday Schools” was or- 
ganized in 1785, consisting of representatives of all denomi- 
nations. This movement grew so rapidly that Fox soon 
found that it claimed his entire time and he abandoned his 
business, devoting himself exclusively for the remainder of 
his life to the Sunday-school cause. 

The present system of volunteer service in Sunday- 
school teaching had its beginning in the offer of one of his 
boys, who had become greatly interested in the new move- 
ment, to teach without pay. Stimulated by his example, 
others offered themselves for similar service and soon the 
system of paid teachers was entirely abandoned. 


Missionary Activities Stimulated by the Sunday School. 
—The course of lessons in these Sunday schools at first 
consisted of reading and the study of the Church of Eng- 
land Catechism. Later, Bible memory work was intro- 
duced, and from this developed a systematic plan of Bible 
study, adapted to pupils of varying ages. It was this use of 
the Bible, and the demand for copies of the Scriptures by 
the pupils, that led to the organization of the British and 
Foreign Bible Society, whose splendid work is known 
and appreciated throughout the world. The organization of 
the Religious Tract Society of London is also traced to the 
demand for suitable literature that was created by the 
Sunday school. As the work of the Sunday school grew, 
and as the people became more familiar with the teachings 
of the Word, their vision broadened and their sympathies 

2 17 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


went out toward the neglected people of heathen lands. 
They began to realize their responsibility for the evangeli- 
zation of the world. Thus, twenty years after the first 
Sunday school was organized, the Church Missionary Soci- — 
ety was founded, which for more than a century has been 
faithfully spreading the good news of the gospel ‘‘to every 
creature.”’ From that day to this, the Sunday school has 
been the source and inspiration of every effective and suc- 
cessful movement for social and civic betterment. Out of 
its ranks have come the leaders of the Protestant body and 
under its instruction tens of thousands of men and women 
have consecrated their lives to the service of the Lord 
Jesus Christ in all parts of the civilized world. 


The Sunday School in America.—The introduction of 
the Sunday school into America necessitated a number of 
modifications in the plan conceived and inaugurated by 
Robert Raikes which had met with so much success in Eng- 
land. In America the Sunday school must, of a necessity, 
be an integral part of the Church. It was essentially a 
Church school. Aside from a few Sunday schools that met 
in the homes of Christian men and women who became 
interested in this work for the children, practically all of 
the early Sunday schools in America were organized by 
Churches and held their sessions in church buildings. 

The schools founded upon the Raikes plan were inde- 
pendent of the Church. They were the result of the work 
of an individual, and while they were founded for the pur- 
pose of developing a higher condition of morality among 
the young, the plan did not contemplate any definite 
results as far as the Church was concerned. Its program _ 
did not take the Church into account at all, although such 

18 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


teaching as was given in these schools would naturally 
have a salutary effect upon the Church life and work of 
that period, as well as upon that of the succeeding genera- 
tion. In America the situation was quite different. Here 
the Sunday school was founded upon the principle that it is 
an adjunct to the Church, with a definite work to perform 
in the training of the children for Church membership. 
Instead of engaging paid teachers, it called for voluntary 
service on the part of older and experienced Christians who 
were well grounded in the faith and whose piety and Chris- 
tian character were beyond question. It will at once be 
seen that this plan was far in advance of the method under 
which the Raikes schools were founded and conducted. 

The First Sunday-School Agency.—The first general 
Sunday-school organization in America was the American 
Sunday School Union, which was organized in 1817 as the 
“Sunday and Adult School Union,” as the result of the 
visit of Rev. Robert May, a missionary of the London 
Missionary Society. On his way to India he stopped in 
Philadelphia, speaking with great enthusiasm of the good 
work of the Sunday schools in England. Other union or- 
ganizations sprang up in different cities and a few years 
later, in 1824, the American Sunday School Union was 
organized by delegates from each of these local unions, 
into which they were merged. Its object was to publish 
suitable literature for home study of the Scriptural lessons, 
to prepare courses of weekly lessons, and to establish new 
Sunday schools. 


Denominational Sunday-School Work Inaugurated.— 
In these early days when the denominations were too weak 


to undertake this work for themselves, and for many years 
19 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


later, the American Sunday School Union rendered indis- 
pensable service in the promoting of Sunday-school inter- 
ests on American soil. It was not long, however, before the 
denominations began to realize the necessity of assuming © 
control of the Sunday schools in connection with their 
respective Churches. The first body to organize its own 
agency to direct this work was the Methodist, whose gen- 
eral Sunday-school society came into existence in 1827 
under the name of the Sunday School Union of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church, with headquarters in New York. 
At about the same time the Unitarians organized a similar 
society, and three years later the Lutheran General Coun- 
cil organized a Sunday-school union for their denomina- 
tion. In 1832 the Congregationalists formed their Sunday- 
school and publication society. In the Baptist Church the 
interests of the Sunday schools were placed under the care 
of the American Baptist Publication Society and since 
1840 Baptists have been actively at work in this direction. 


Presbyterian Sunday-School Work Begun.—In 1838 the 
Presbyterian Church (O.8.) organized a Board of Publica- 
tion, whose purpose, like that of the other Church publish- 
ing societies, was to prepare and publish literature of a 
doctrinal character, and at the same time to meet the 
increasing demand for lesson helps and papers which was 
heard on every side as the result of the rapid growth of 
Sunday schools throughout the Church. As the years 
passed, the necessity for doctrinal literature became less 
pronounced, while the demand for Sunday-school literature 
developed by leaps and bounds. 

In 1851 the first Sunday-school periodical was published. © 
It sprang into immediate popularity, the circulation reach- 

20 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


ing 28,000 at the close of the first year and increasing to 
40,000 during the second year. 

The Publication Committee (New School Branch) 
placed increasing emphasis upon the needs of its Sunday 
schools. In the issuing of new publications, books for 
youth held a very prominent place. Grants of its publica- 
tions were made to needy schools as liberally as the funds 
at its disposal allowed. The employment of synodical 
missionaries or missionaries at large for Sunday-school and 
colportage work was frequently considered. The General 
Assembly of 1869 went so far as to authorize the Publica- 
tion Committee “to employ a general agent to visit the 
churches and Sabbath schools and bring them into connec- 
tion with the Committee’s work, and to devote himself to 
the cause of Sabbath-school extension, and to the promo- 
tion of higher efficiency in our Sabbath schools generally.” 
In 1887 when the General Assembly urged upon the Church 
the importance of developing the Sunday school in its 
work of training the children for Christian life and service, 
it was stated that seventy-five per cent of the Board’s pub- 
- lications were for the use of Sunday schools. The General 
Assembly of 1871 also laid special emphasis upon Sunday- 
school work and directed the Board of Publication to 
develop this phase of its activities with all vigor. This re- 
port dealt with the question of proper literature and the 
necessity of a spiritual atmosphere in Sunday-school con- 
duct and teaching, and issued a call for a united effort on 
the part of the denomination itself to take control of its 
own Sunday-school work. From that day until the present, 
the Presbyterian Church has been a leader in every pro- 
gressive movement in behalf of Sunday-school work, 
encouraging its schools to attain the highest standards. 

21 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Sunday-School Extension.—The work of the various 
denominational societies was gradually broadened to in- 
clude the extension of Sunday-school influence by planting 
mission Sunday schools wherever they were needed. The © 
Presbyterian Church, with characteristic missionary spirit, 
has developed this phase of its Sunday-school work zeal- 
ously and effectively. Its force of Sunday-school mission- 
aries is larger than that of any other denomination, and 
they have been instrumental in giving the Sunday school to 
more than two millions of America’s neglected children and 
youth. During recent years their activities have broad- 
ened to include the promotion of all phases of religious 
educational effort. 

Special emphasis has been placed by all denominational 
Sunday-school organizations upon the educational features 
of Sunday-school work, as exemplified in systems of grad- 
ing, training of teachers, study of child psychology and 
pedagogy, specialized work among different age groups, 
and in the promotion of plans for bringing the schools up 
to fixed standards of efficiency. Specialists in educational 
work are employed to promote the best plans and methods 
for the teaching and training of the children and youth in 
worship and service, and in recent years marvelous progress 
has been made. 


Daily Vacation Bible School.—Out of the increasing in- 
terest which has been developed in the work of Christian 
nurture through the earnest study and promotion of meth- 
ods for the Sunday school has come the demand for more 
hours of Bible teaching and training than the brief Sunday- 
school period can provide. This resulted in the develop- © 


ment of the Daily Vacation Bible School movement and its 
22 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


adoption by the Churches as an indispensable part of the 
church-school plan. But as the Daily Vacation Bible 
School can be conducted only during the public-school 
vacation period, it places upon the Sunday school the 
entire burden of Christian nurture for the rising genera- 
tion during the remainder of the year. (See Bulletin 
No. 12.) 


The Week-Day Church School.—To meet this situation 
the plan for the week-day church school has been devel- 
oped, providing for a week-day gathering of the children 
for Christian instruction and expressional work, under 
competent teachers, and with a thoroughly graded curric- 
ulum arranged according to the most approved pedagog- 
ical ideals. The rapid growth of this movement, especially 
in the Presbyterian Church, developed the necessity of 
correlating the work of the week-day session with that of 
the Sunday school, out of which has grown the plan of the 
three-hour-a-week correlated school, which marks a dis- 
tinct advance in the program of Christian nurture, and 
which is being vigorously promoted throughout the entire 
Church. (See Bulletins Nos. 4 and 8.) 


Interdenominational Sunday-School Work.—Out of the 
first convention of Sunday-school leaders in 1832, the Inter- 
national Sunday School Association gradually developed, 
confining its work for many years to the holding of periodi- 
cal conventions which attracted national and world-wide 
interest in the promotion of the Sunday-school movement. 
It has been well said that the history of the International 
Sunday School Association until 1887 is written wholly in 
a series of conventions. 

1See Appendix A, page 141. 


23 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Since 1887 the work of the International Sunday School 
Association has broadened in many ways. Beginning with 
the employment of a general secretary, the Association 
added to its force of field workers specialists in each depart- 
ment. Under the growing conviction on the part of the 
denominations that the details of Sunday-school develop- 
ment should be worked out under their immediate super- 
vision, and in recognition of the fact that they were en- 
gaged in the promotion of common goals, the Sunday 
School Council of Evangelical Denominations was organ- 
ized, including in its membership the Sunday-school execu- 
tives and departmental directors of thirty-nine different 
denominations. For twelve years this organization carried 
on its work, holding annual meetings and developing 
improved plans and policies for all phases of Sunday-school 
activity. It is largely to the work of this organization that 
the Church in America owes its remarkable advance in 
teacher-training, grading, improved courses of study, Sun- 
day-school architecture and extension service. 

The necessity of relating the growing denominational 
activities to those of the International Association became 
increasingly apparent, and after several years of conference 
and careful negotiation, the Sunday School Council of 
Evangelical Denominations and the International Sunday 
School Association were officially merged, under the name 
of the International Council of Religious Education, 
the plan of the merger being formally adopted at the 
International Sunday School Convention in Kansas City 
in June, 1922. Every evangelical denomination may be 
represented in the new organization, through its Execu- 
tive Committee and its Committee on Education. The 


plans, methods, and curriculums for use in every depart- 
24 


DEVELOPMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT 


ment of religious educational activity are being carefully 
studied, developed, and promoted. Thus the work of 
Christian nurture for America’s children and youth has 
been codrdinated and correlated for the building of a 
national program of interdenominational advance, to guar- 
antee to all the children of America their full heritage of 
Christian knowledge and life. 


25 


CHAPTER II 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE 
SUNDAY SCHOOL 


‘With the abundance of information and literature avail- 
able dealing with every aspect of Sunday-school adminis- 
tration and management, and the adaptability of present- 
day methods to every variety of conditions, no excuse 
other than indifference or ignorance can be offered for con- 
ducting a Sunday school in a slipshod fashion. Since the 
Sunday school is not a separate organization, but an in- 
tegral part of the Church, engaged in fulfilling the Church’s 
teaching function, it is of supreme importance that it shall 
be organized in a manner that will enable it to do its work 
efficiently. Even the smallest Sunday schools can organize 
their work with a degree of thoroughness, and in con- 
formity with the most approved methods, if their leaders 
are intelligent, and if they have a proper appreciation of the 
serious import of their task, and of its opportunities for the 
building of Christian character. 


The Necessity of Grading.—For all practical purposes, 
the simplest plan of organization is usually the best. Un- 
necessary machinery occupies space that may be devoted 
to some useful purpose and retards efficiency in production. 
The object in organizing the school according to certain 
standards of recognized efficiency is to assure to every 
pupil the opportunity of receiving Bible instruction and 
training in the manner that is best adapted to his needs at 
each period of his development. It is perfectly obvious 


that this cannot be accomplished in a school where the chil- 
. 26 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


dren, young people, and adults are all assembled together 
in one room with no opportunity for teaching hymns, 
prayers, and Bible truth suitable to those of different ages. 
It is equally clear that the hymns, prayers, lessons, and 
instruction in worship which are adapted to the needs of 
young people or adults would be neither interesting nor 
helpful to the children. One of the most important ad- 
vances in Sunday-school progress during the past quarter 
of a century was the universal recognition of this principle, 
and its practical application among Sunday schools large 
and small and of all denominations. 

It is interesting, nevertheless, as an indication of the slow 
pace at which new methods are adopted in the operation of 
our Church machinery, that in spite of all the earnest, 
intelligent, and persistent promotion of modern Sunday- 
school ideals of organization and management, the results 
of a-recent survey indicate that more than fifty per cent of 
all the Sunday schools in America still gather in one room 
and are utterly unorganized and ungraded. More than 
seventy-five per cent of all the American Sunday schools 
have nothing more than a ‘‘main school” and a Primary 
Department. 


Adaptation of Modern Methods.—This condition can 
and must be remedied. The fact that many of the young 
people in the Sunday schools of to-day who are studying 
the teacher-training courses are being trained in the proper 
methods of Sunday-school organization and management, 
presents a hopeful outlook for the future; for as they come 
into positions as officers and teachers in the Sunday school, 
they will insist upon the adoption of efficient methods. 


Sunday-school leaders in all denominations have invented 
27 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


many ingenious devices and have offered many valuable sug- 
gestions for the adaptation of improved methods of organ- 
ization, by rearrangement of the room used for Sunday- 
school purposes, and by the use of inexpensive contrivances, — 
providing opportunities for graded instruction where it 
was considered utterly impracticable. Even small rural 
Sunday schools meeting in schoolhouses, stores, or in one- 
room churches, have found, by a careful study of the litera- 
ture available on this subject, a way to overcome obstacles 
which many would consider insurmountable. The repeated 
demonstration of the truth of the old proverb, ‘‘ Where 
there’s a will, there’s a way,” should encourage the aggres- 
sive and forward-looking young people who are now being 
enlisted in Sunday-school service to investigate carefully 
the many plans that are offered. For the sake of the chil- 
dren and for the sake of our future citizenship, churches 
should earnestly set themselves the task of making such 
changes in their building and equipment as will provide 
adequately for the use of the best methods. : 


The Divisions of the Sunday School.—The modern Sun- 
day school is divided into the following graded Depart- 


ments: 
I. THe CHILDREN’s DIvISION 
Birth to 11 years 


Cradle Roll ase eee bee Birth to 3 years 
Beginners ; 082 Whats eee ae 4 and 5 years 
Primary .): eta a , .6, 7, and 8 years 
JUNIO? .'s eRe Puls ee a oe eee eee 9, 10, and 11 years 


II. Tue Youne Propte’s Division 
12 to 23 years 


Intermediate | Gupta wee eta 12, 13, and 14 years 
Senior. 4"; ae BET Meh E Moe Tee aya o> 4 15, 16, and 17 years 
Young People’s). 227. cn eee 18 to 23 years 


III. Tse Apuut Division 
24 years and upwards 


IV. THe Home DEPARTMENT 
28 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


Tur CRADLE Rott DEPARTMENT! 


Every Sunday school can have a Cradle Roll Depart- 
ment, for in every community in which there is a Sunday 
school, babies may be found and enrolled. One of the most 
effective ways of reaching the heart of the mother or father 
is to show an interest in the new baby. Thousands of men 
and women whose names are on our church rolls, and who 
are found regularly in their places in the Sunday school, 
were won through the enrollment of their baby on the 
Cradle Roll. But, of course, the proper conduct of the 
Cradle Roll Department involves more than the purchase 
of an elaborate wall chart and filling the spaces with the 
names of the babies who are enrolled. It is a declaration, 
first of all, of the principle that every child should be given 
the opportunity of Christian instruction from its earliest 
years. Christian nurture must begin when life begins, and 
if our boys and girls are to be led naturally and unemotion- 
ally into an acceptance of Christ as their Saviour and 
Friend, it must come through a course of training which 
begins when the child is born, and continues faithfully and 
persistently until the roots of character are firmly im- 
planted. 

Again, the Cradle Roll furnishes opportunities for pas- 
toral visitation of homes which might otherwise be difficult 
to reach. It enables the Sunday school to claim the chil- 


1 It is not the purpose of this chapter to give detailed suggestions with reference 
to the organization of each department of the Sunday school. There is an abun- 
dance of excellent material available containing the best methods for use in con- 
ducting the work of these departments, prepared ‘by specialists, for each age group, 
which should be obtained by every Sunday school as a part of its equipment. The 
author recommends ‘“‘The Westminster Series of Graded Guide Books’’ (eleven 
volumes) for the best plans and methods. These handbooks are indispensable 
to the departmental superintendents and teachers. The set may be obtained for 
$5.00, Westminster Press, Witherspoon Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 


29 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


dren of the community from their infancy. It opens the 
way for parental instruction in the proper methods of 
teaching and training little children. In many cases help- 
ful service is being rendered in promoting the health and — 
care of infants by arranging meetings for mothers for the 
discussion of these subjects, and by the visitation of homes 
and the distribution of suitable literature which is available 
to everyone. 

A Cradle Roll superintendent should be appointed as 
one of the officers of the school. In many cases it would be 
wise to place this responsibility upon the superintendent of 
the Beginners Department. 


THE BEGINNERS DEPARTMENT 


The children are promoted to the Beginners Department 
upon arriving at the age of four. Some of the Cradle Roll 
members, children under four years, will frequently be 
brought to the sessions of the school, and they should al- 
ways be cordially welcomed, but they should be recorded 
and reported as members of the Cradle Roll, until, upon 
arriving at the proper age, they become members of the 
Beginners Department. In many of our smaller Sunday 
schools the Beginners and Primary Departments are com- 
bined, and in some cases it may be necessary to follow this — 
plan temporarily, but the further the teacher advances in 
the use of graded lesson material, the more clearly it will 
be seen that the children of four and five years of age have 
special needs which must be met and which are different 
from those of the period of middle childhood. Every school 
should endeavor to have in training one or more young 
women who specialize in the work of the Beginners Depart- 
ment. 

30 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


The Beginners Department should have a superintend- 
ent, with as many assistants as may be required. In a 
small school all the Beginners may be taught as one class, 
but in larger 'schools it will be found advisable to divide 
the children into classes with a teacher for each class. (For 
the proper equipment of the Beginners Department see 
Chapter V.) 


THE PRIMARY DEPARTMENT 


In this Department should be grouped all the children 
six, seven, and eight years of age. On the annual promo- 
tion day the children of the Beginners Department who 
have arrived at the age of six years should be promoted to 
the Primary Department where they will spend the next 
three years. Here they will have Bible lessons, memory 
work, and instruction in worship, with expressional activi- 
ties adapted to their developing capabilities. It is impor- 
tant that the children of this age should have their own 
room, not only for the teaching of the lesson but also for the 
entire Sunday-school session. If this is impossible, they 
may be grouped with the Beginners, but never with the 
older children. But even where it is found necessary to 
assemble them together for the service of worship, the 
Primary children should be separated by curtains or 

‘screens during the teaching of the lesson. A superinten- 
dent, with competent helpers, should be appointed for this 
Department. (Equipment for the Primary Department is 
described in Chapter V.) 


THE JUNIOR DEPARTMENT 


Into this Department should be gathered the children 


nine, ten, and eleven years of age. Even in small schools 
31 


\e 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


there will be enough children of this age to form at least 


one class. It is preferable, however, to separate the boys | 


and girls of this age, having a class or classes for each sex, 


according to the number enrolled. This Department also 


should have a separate room, but if, after carefully testing 
every possible plan, this is found to be impracticable, the 
Juniors may be assembled with the older pupils for their 
opening service of worship and separated by curtains or 
screens for their Bible lesson and memory work. Where 
there is more than one class of the Junior age and where a 
separate room is available, a superintendent should be ap- 
pointed to conduct the work, with such assistants as may 
be necessary. (For equipment of the Junior Department 
see Chapter V.) | 


Tuer INTERMEDIATE-SENIOR DEPARTMENT! | 


Children of twelve, thirteen, and fourteen years of age 
comprise the Intermediate Department or class. The 
Seniors are the classes containing pupils of fifteen, sixteen, 
and seventeen years.. In many small schools there will be 
enough pupils of the Intermediate age to form at least one 
or two classes for this group. The boys and girls should be 
placed in separate classes, with men as teachers for the 
boys, if possible, and with women teaching the girls. If 
arrangements can be made to give each group its own room, 
its work can be carried on far more effectively, but if this 
cannot be done, the Intermediates may join with the 
pupils of the next older group, the Seniors, fifteen, sixteen, 
and seventeen years of age, for the service of worship, but 
they should have their own special Bible lessons and 


1 Where practicable, Intermediates and Seniors should have separate Depart~’ 


ments. Because this book is prepared especially for smaller schools, the combined 
Department heading is used here. 
32 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


activities. Classes in this Department should be organized 
according to the denominational plans, with officers and 
committees. Special programs for boys’ and girls’ through- 
the-week activities may be obtained at the denominational 
headquarters. Organizations for boys and girls such as 
Boy Scouts, Pioneers, Camp Fire Girls, and other similar 
societies connected with the Church, appealing to the 
pupils of this age, should be closely correlated with the 
work which the Sunday school is doing among them. 


THE YOUNG PEOPLE’s DEPARTMENT 


The years from eighteen to twenty-three the pupils spend 
in the Young People’s Department. It is not practicable 
to group them either with the next younger grade or with 
the adult members of the school. They have needs which 
should be met by special adaptation of Biblical material 
and by instruction in worship and service quite different 
from that which is prepared for either the younger or older 
pupils. They should be divided into classes for young men 
and for young women and should be separated from the 
other grades if possible. Then there should be adequate re- 
cognition of the fact that the young people themselves should 
have some part in the administration of the Department. 
Special lesson courses adapted to pupils of this age contain 
suggestions for expressional work and will be found exceed- 
ingly helpful. For service activities the plan of class 
organization or a Young People’s society, with or without 
the Christian Endeavor pledge, will be found adaptable to 
meet: a variety of conditions. The most flexible form of 
organization for this group is always the most successful. 
In small schools there should be one or more classes of 
pupils of this age. 

3 33 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Tue ADULT DEPARTMENT 


This Department includes all the active members of the 
school above twenty-three years of age. Every school 
should have at least one Adult class for men and women, or 
two classes, one for men and the other for women. Each 
Adult class should be organized according to the denomina- 
tional plans, and should engage in certain definite forms of 
Christian service in the church and in the community. 
The Adult classes should have separate rooms if this is at 
all possible. Portable partitions such as screens or curtains 
may be used where separate rooms are not available. 
Men’s and women’s classes are more successful in retaining 
their membership and enthusiasm where they are able to 
have a room of their own with their own special program 
for the entire Sunday-school hour, meeting in general ses- 
sion with the other pupils only on special days and anni- 
versaries. Particular attention should be devoted in every 
school to the development of the Adult Department. We 
cannot expect to hold the boys and girls in the Sunday 
school if the men and women of the Church are not inter- 
ested enough to attend, and to engage actively in its work. 

The Adult Department should be fully organized, with a 
superintendent who will be responsible for the programs of 
worship, instruction, and service, and who will direct the. 
activities. — 

THE TEACHER TRAINING DEPARTMENT 


The future of the Sunday school depends largely upon 
the development of competent teachers and leaders to carry 
on its work. No Sunday school can hope to do efficient 
work in teaching and training the rising generation so long ° 
as it depends upon a haphazard method of securing officers 

34 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


and teachers, pressing into the service those who may 
yield to the persuasions of the pastor or superintendent to 
accept positions of responsibility in the Sunday school “‘for_ 
the sake of the boys and girls.” The solution of the prob- 
lem of securing capable officers and teachers is to train - 
them; every Sunday school should select out of the ranks 
each year those who should become leaders, and should pro- 
vide the means for their proper training. The Teacher- 
Training Department, therefore, becomes an indispensable 
part of the organization of every Sunday school. Out of 
the Young People’s class or classes, young men and women, 
selected each year, should be placed in a teacher-training 
class, for a three-year course of study and training, follow- 
ing the Standard Course which has been commonly adopted 
by all the denominations. There should be three classes in 
the Teacher-Training Department, one class graduating 
each year. In many small schools, the plan of a Teacher- 
Training Department with three classes may not be prac- 
ticable and the three-year course may be considered too 
difficult. To meet such cases, shorter courses of forty or 
sixty lessons are available and will be found very helpful. 
Of course, only one class in teacher-training is necessary if 
the shorter course is used. With the material now available 
for the training of teachers, adaptable to even the most 
backward conditions, there is little excuse for any Sunday 
school to be without at least one teacher-training class, 
unless the pastor and superintendent are utterly indifferent . 
regarding this important matter. i 


Tue Home DEPARTMENT 


The Home Department idea was developed as a means 


of enabling men and women who could not attend the regu- 
35 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


lar sessions of the Sunday school to participate in its work 
by studying the lessons at home and contributing toward 
its activities, missionary and otherwise. Every Sunday 
school can and should maintain a Home Department, en- 7 
rolling all the men and women of the church and com- 
munity who are willing to study the Bible lesson each 
week, follow the daily Bible readings, and contribute regu- 
larly. A Home Department superintendent should be ap- 
pointed, and as many visitors as may be required to call 
upon the members at least once every three months. The 
Home Departments in many churches have enlarged their 
activities far beyond the original idea of the founder of this 
movement which aimed to enlist the shut-ins, the aged, 
and those who are detained from attending the sessions of 
the school because of household cares and other responsi- 
bilities. It has developed the formation of parent-teacher 
associations holding regular meetings at which matters 
which are of mutual interest to parents and teachers are 
freely discussed. In many cases mothers and fathers have 
become so interested in Bible study through their connec- 
tion with the Home Department that they have found a 
way of attending the regular sessions of the school, joining 
parents’ classes and following special courses of study 
adapted to their needs and problems. 


Officers for the Sunday-School Organization.'—No plan 
of organization, however simple in itself, can work effect- 
ually without competent leaders to direct its constituent 
parts. In order to make the foregoing plan function prop- 
erly, departmental officers or superintendents are necessary _ 
for each Department. But the school requires certain gen- 


1 See Appendix C, page 144. 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


eral officers to give unity and cohesion to the work as a 
whole: 


The pastor, who is responsible for all the activities of the 
church, worship, instruction, and service. 


Wherever practicable there should be a superintendent 
(or director) of religious education, who shall be responsible 
for the educational program of the entire school. This 
officer should be familiar with the lesson courses for each 
Department, and should guide the departmental superin- 
tendents in the conduct of their work, supervise the teach- 
ing, and assist in the formulation of plans and programs of 
worship, instruction, and expression. 


The superintendent, who should be elected annually and 
who is the active responsible officer in charge of all the work 
of the school. The superintendents of the various Depart- 
ments are responsible to him and should seek his counsel in 
all matters pertaining to the conduct of their work. 


One or more associate superintendents to assist the 
superintendent in his work by assuming such special re- 
sponsibilities as may be assigned to them by the superin- 
tendent. 


The secretary, who keeps the statistical and other records 
of the school. He should keep not only the attendance 
record but also a full record concerning each child who is 
enrolled, including the date of birth, the names of the 
parents, residence, Church connection, and other details. 
When promotions are made from one Department to 
another, this should be carefully noted on the records. 


The secretary should receive all moneys and turn them 
37 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


over to the treasurer of the school, for which he should be 
given a formal receipt by the treasurer. He should keep a 
full and complete record of all amounts received and ex- | 
pended, and no money should be paid by the treasurer. out 
of the funds of the Sunday school except upon an order 
signed by the secretary after being authorized by the Sun- 
day-school teachers’ association or workers’ conference. 


The treasurer should keep careful accounts of all money 
passing through his hands and should be prepared at any 
time to present a clear statement of the financial condition 
of the school. 


The chorister should be elected to have charge of the 
music, and a pianist or organist will be necessary to assist 
him. 


A librarian should be elected as the officer who is respon- 
sible for the Sunday-school library and the workers’ 
library, keeping careful records of all books lent and keep- 
ing them in proper condition. 

The election of the superintendent and his associates 
each year is the responsibility of the governing body of the 
local church (such as the session in the Presbyterian 
Church). This is not necessary in the case of the other 
officers. ‘Teachers should be chosen by the pastor and 
superintendent and recommended to the session for elec- 
tion. 

Teachers should not be promoted with their classes, but 
should remain in the Department in which they are spe- 
cializing, receiving a new class every three years. Thus , 
they become proficient in the particular methods pursued 


for the training of the children of their special age group, 
38 


ORGANIZING AND GRADING THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


besides becoming familiar with the course of lessons pre- 
pared for that Department. 


A missionary superintendent is one of the regular officers 
in many Sunday schools. His special duty is to devise plans 
and programs for the teaching and training of the pupilsin | 
missionary service, imparting information concerning the 
missionary need of the world, and developing the spirit of 
missions throughout the entire school. In many other 
schools these duties are assigned to a Missionary Commit- 
tee. (See Chapter VIII for further suggestions under 
‘Missionary Instruction.’’) 

The full list of officers therefore in the well-organized 
school should be as follows: 


Pastor 
Superintendent 
Associate superintendents 
Secretary 
Treasurer 
Chorister 
Pianist or organist 
Librarian 
Departmental superintendents for: Cradle Roll 
Beginners Department 
Primary Department 
Junior Department 
Intermediate-Senior Depart- 
ment 
Young People’s Department 
Teacher-Training Depart- 
ment . 


Home Department 
Missionary superintendent 


Where the school is not large enough to require depart- 


mental superintendents, they may be omitted, and a 
39 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Children’s Division superintendent may be appointed, to 
be responsible for all methods used among the Cradle Roll, 
Beginners, Primary, and Junior pupils. 

The superintendent of the Sunday school and his asso- 
ciates should then assume the special responsibility for the 
Senior, Intermediate, Young People’s, Adult, and Teacher- 
Training problems, with a Home Department superinten- 
dent to care for that special phase of the work. 


Installation of Officers and Teachers.—It will serve to 
magnify the importance and dignity of service in the Sun- 
day school if the officers and teachers are formally installed 
in a brief service conducted by the pastor of the church. 
For a suitable form for the installation service, which may 
be adapted to meet the local situation, see Appendix B, 
page 142. 


40 


CHAPTER III 
THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE PASTOR 


Tur SUPERINTENDENT 


The chief administrative officer of the Sunday school is 
the superintendent. He derives his authority from the 
governing body of the church, such as the session in the 
Presbyterian Church. Since the Constitution of the Pres- 
byterian Church places the responsibility for the proper 
conduct of the Sunday school upon the session, regular 
reports should be presented to the session by the Sunday 
school through the superintendent. Formal action should 
be taken upon these reports and recorded in the minutes 
of the session. Likewise the election of the superintendent 
should be submitted to the session for action. The superin- 
tendent should be elected annually, at the time when the 
other officers of the school are elected. 

The efficient Sunday-school superintendent will not find 
it necessary to devote much time to maintaining discipline. 
If the teachers are carefully chosen, and properly qualified, 
there will rarely be any problems of discipline to divert him 
from the main task of setting up ideals and promoting plans 
and policies looking toward the realization of those ideals. 
The superintendent must be a man or woman of prayer and 
spiritual power, with broad vision, without prejudice, un- 
selfish in service, with an adequate general knowledge of 
Sunday-school ideals and methods, powers of adaptation, 


and common sense, tactful, resourceful, loyal to the church 
-dtaeg 41 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


and its pastor, and with a personality that wins the respect 
and affection of his fellow officers and of the pupils. 

The educational aspect of the Sunday-school task must. _ 
not be overlooked. It should receive increasing emphasis. 
The progressive Sunday school finds it necessary, in order 
to obtain efficiency, to have a superintendent, or director 
of religious education, whose particular function is to super- 
vise the teaching in all the Departments, and assist in 
arranging programs of worship and plans for expressional 
activities. The superintendent of the school is the execu- 
tive officer, but the director of religious education is the 
one who studies the situation from the standpoint of educa- 
tional ideals and plans the work, instruction, and training 
in accordance therewith. 


Maintaining a High Ideal.—Have we set up too high an 
ideal for this office? Is it possible to find men and women 
in our churches who can measure up to these requirements? 
While it is frequently impossible to find one who can qualify 
on all counts, it is quite possible to find a consecrated per- 
son who possesses an attractive personality, and who has 
had sufficient Sunday-school experience to make a fair 
beginning. By careful reading and study of the current 
books and magazines devoted to the interests of the Sunday 
school, such a person may gradually acquire a knowledge 
and training which will develop resourcefulness in the 
adaptation of improved methods to the local needs and 
conditions. 

It is impossible to be a successful Sunday-school super- 
intendent without carefully studying the literature of the . 
denomination on Sunday-school plans and methods. A 


wealth of new ideas drawn from the experience of other 
42 


THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE PASTOR 


superintendents will be found in these books and maga- 
zines, and the wise superintendent, immediately upon 
assuming the office, will write to the denominational Sun- 
day-school headquarters for advice regarding the books 
and other literature which are recommended as containing 
the most helpful material. 


Planning Ahead.—The successful superintendent will 
carefully plan the work of the school several weeks in ad- 
vance, taking into account the special days to be observed, 
missionary instruction, activities for community welfare 
and for missionary promotion, social gatherings, and evan- 
gelistic efforts. The careful preparation of programs for the 
opening service of worship is most important, for the man- 
ner in which this period is conducted largely determines the 
atmosphere and spirit of the school in all its work. This is 
the point at which many superintendents stumble and fall. 
In many cases, their failure results not so much from in- 
ability or inefficiency as from the impossibility of finding 
sufficient time in the busy rush of week-day interests, with 
committee meetings and other gatherings claiming the 
evenings, to prepare thoughtfully and prayerfully the 
program for each Sunday’s session. Most superintendents 
recognize the supreme importance of this opening period 
and its wonderful opportunities, if rightly used, for making 
spiritual impressions and vitally influencing the ideals of 
worship among the pupils. It is a good plan for the super- 
intendent to train the pupils to participate in this service 
of worship. Some of the older classes may occasionally be 
intrusted with the responsibility of preparing the program 
and conducting this period of the Sunday-school session 


under the superintendent’s guidance. Programs should 
43 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


always be prepared with due regard for special days and 
seasons, such as Easter, Christmas, Independence Day, 
Memorial Day, and similar celebrations, the hymns and 
Scripture selections being appropriate to the occasion. 


The Superintendent a Leader.—Again, the superinten- 
dent should be the recognized leader in all matters pertain- 
ing to the interests of the Sunday school. He should be the 
presiding officer at all meetings of the Sunday-school work- 
ers and should be, ex officio, a member of every committee. 
All general and special committees should be appointed by 
him. He should represent the school in all interchurch 
community gatherings, or delegate some one to act in his 
place. That the superintendent should set an example of | 
promptness, courtesy, and patience is so obviously a funda- 
mental requirement that it may be taken for granted. If 
the church has a council of religious education, the superin- 
tendent, by virtue of his office, should be the representative 
of the Sunday school in that body. 


Promoting General Sunday-School Agencies. — All inter- 
denominational organizations and agencies for the promo- 
tion of Sunday-school methods and for elevating the stand- 
ards of Sunday-school efficiency should receive his sym- 
pathetic and active support. District, county, and state 
Sunday-school organizations and gatherings, when prop- 
erly planned, offer opportunities for fellowship and ex- 
change of ideas which the alert superintendent cannot 
afford to neglect. Such organizations should not be criti- 
cized for ineffectiveness by those whose interest and sup- 
port is withheld. If we do not contribute our energies , 
toward the success of a movement, we should not criticize 
its weaknesses. 

44 


THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE PASTOR 


Finally, every superintendent must study his own situa- 
tion and find the solution of his own problems in careful 
study, wise judgment, and the advice of his counselors, 
relying upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit without whose 
help all his efforts will fail. 


THE PASTOR 


The superintendent’s chief counselor is the pastor.» The 
minister of the church has a distinct position in, and re- 
sponsibility for, the Sunday school. While the superin- 
tendent is the executive officer in charge of the Sunday 
school, the pastor’s function of general supervision of the 
work of the school should not be minimized. The success- 
ful pastor knows the pupils of the Sunday school as a good 
shepherd knows his own sheep. He should know the homes 
from which they come, and the conditions under which 
they are being reared. He should be just as truly the pastor 
of the Sunday school as of the congregation. He should 
never be absent from the Sunday-school sessions, except in 
case of necessity, and he should be thoroughly familiar with 
all aspects of the work. He should have the privilege of the 
platform at every session, and at the proper time in the 
program he should be given an opportunity to speak to the 
school upon any matters which he may desire to bring to 
the attention of the pupils. He should have a special care 
for the spiritual interests of each pupil, and should work 
and pray with the teachers in behalf of pupils who should 
be brought to a decision to accept Christ as their personal 
Saviour. He should be the leader in all Decision-Day 
exercises, gathering the pupils who should be trained for 
Church membership into communicant classes for instruc- 
tion in the duties, privileges, and obligations of the Chris- 

45 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


tian life. The pastor who thus comes into intimate per- 
sonal contact with the pupils will find it one of the happiest 
and most inspiring features of his ministry to lead them 
into Church membership; and to the faithful teacher, he 
will be a constant source of strength and encouragement in 
reaching the goal toward which every true teacher strives 
—the winning of the pupils to an open declaration of alle- 
giance to Jesus. 


Working Together.—There should be perfect accord be- 
tween the pastor and the superintendent in planning for the 
best interests of the school, each having proper regard for 
the position and authority of the other. The pastor is sel- 
dom justified in overruling the decisions of the superin- 
tendent, but he should always feel at liberty to suggest 
new and helpful plans which the superintendent should 
give careful consideration. The relation between them 
should be that of friendly counsel and codperation, never 
losing sight of the fact that each is studying the highest 
welfare and prosperity of the school. While they may ap- 
proach their common problems in different ways, and 
while they may occasionally differ in their viewpoint, they 
should maintain an attitude of mutual consideration and 
good will which will lead to the wisest solution of every 
troublesome question. 

Ideally, the pastor can be more helpful in the Sunday 
school if he is not charged with any specific responsibility 
as an Officer or teacher, although in many schools the lack 
of a capable man or woman to fill the office of superinten- 
dent or teacher of an adult Bible class or a teacher-training _ 
class frequently makes it necessary for him to assume the 


reins of leadership, or to conduct such classes. In a great 
46 


THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE PASTOR 


many schools the adult Bible class could not be main- 
tained without the services of the pastor as its teacher, and 
likewise the teacher-training class would be impossible in 
many schools if the pastor were unwilling to become its 
leader. While these situations must be recognized, and 
while the pastor, in most cases, will cheerfully respond to 
the request of the superintendent to serve in such a man- 
ner, it should be regarded as a temporary rather than a 
permanent arrangement, and constant effort should be 
made to train others for these tasks. 


RELATION OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TO THE CHURCH 


In this connection, consideration should be given to the 
relation of the Sunday school to the church. Too many 
churches look upon the Sunday school as an institution 
apart from the church itself , and give it little or no support. 
It is merely a tenant of the church property; it is expected 
to provide for its own needs in the matter of equipment, 
and even the officeholders of the church are not actively 
engaged in its work. The great need of the hour is not 
merely to establish a closer bond between the Sunday 
school and the church, but also to bring to the conscious- 
ness of the entire Church the fact that its chief task is to 
teach and train its children and youth for Christian life and 
service and that the Sunday school should be regarded as 
the indispensable means for the accomplishment of this 
purpose. 

Accepting this ideal, the church must accept also the 
responsibility, financial and otherwise, for the work of the 
Sunday school, providing the necessary equipment, the 
funds for its support, and enlisting Church members 


actively in its service. The Sunday school is not “the 
47 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


nursery of the church’’; it is not merely for the children; 
it is the Bible teaching service of the church, for the whole 
church, in which the entire Church membership should be 
enrolled. The modern Sunday-school organization pro- 
vides for all ages, from children in their earliest infancy to 
adult men and women. It should be the aim of every 
church, and especially of its pastor and session, to see that 
the Sunday school is organized in such a way as to provide 
a suitable and congenial place for every member of “‘the 
household of faith.” 


Supporting the Sunday School.—The expenses of the 
Sunday school should be included in the budget of con- 
gregational expenses. This does not mean that the Sunday- 
school pupils are relieved of the necessity of contributing 
according to their means; but instead of giving their offer- 
ings to pay bills for lesson helps and other necessary ex- 
penses, they will now contribute toward the support of the 
church which provides for their needs. Thus the pupils 
will be trained to understand that the Sunday school, in- 
stead of being thrust upon its own resources, is such an 
integral and necessary part of the church’s life and work 
that it must be maintained out of the common treasury. 
In this way the pupils may be trained in systematic and 
proportionate giving from their earliest years, eliminating 
much of the difficulty which is now experienced in enlisting 
the entire Church membership in the practice of the prin- 
ciples of Christian stewardship. But the Sunday school 
must also train the pupils to give for the support of the 
missionary and benevolent enterprises of the church, and 
it would obviously be a wrong principle to place all their 
offerings in the church treasury to be used for local ex- 

48 2 een 


THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE PASTOR 


penses. They must be given an opportunity to share in 
the extension of the gospel into the dark places of the 
world, and it is an important part of their training as 
Christians. Therefore, just as the congregational offerings 
are divided between the work of the church at home and 
the larger work abroad, so the offerings of the Sunday 
school should be distributed. In many Sunday schools the 
duplex-envelope method has been introduced with very 
satisfactory results. Each Sunday school should adopt the 
method which seems best adapted to its local situation, 
always keeping in mind, however, the principle that the 
Sunday school as an integral part of the church should be 
regarded as a prior lien upon the church’s funds; and that, 
as the training school for church life and service, its mem- 
bers should be taught to give in accordance with the plan of 
giving which the church has found the most practicable. 


Some E 


CHAPTER IV 
LESSON COURSES 


The words of Jesus, ‘Suffer the little children to come 
unto me; forbid them not: for to such belongeth the king- 
dom of God,” furnish all the authority we need for insist- 
ing that the Sunday school adhere in fact, as well as in 
theory, to its specific function as a Bible-teaching and 


- character-building agency. The Bible must ever hold first 
_ place as the textbook of the Sunday school. While we 


believe that the Sunday school must take into considera- 
tion the fourfold life of the child, to provide for his moral, 
spiritual, social, and physical development, it is important 
that we should put first things first, remembering that out 
of the heart are ‘‘the issues of life.’”’ Christian character 
ean be built only upon the foundation of Christian knowl- 
edge, which in turn can be obtained only by careful, 
persistent, and wisely directed study of the Bible. ‘Thy 
Word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin 
against thee,”’ sang the psalmist. Jesus found the Word an 
armory of defense against the powers of evil, because he 
had been trained to repeat it and to memorize it from early 
childhood. Likewise the knowledge of the Word stored in 
the heart of the children and youth of to-day is thei! 
strongest safeguard against temptation. 

But the Word not only provides a weapon of defense; it 
also gives light and power; it illuminates the pathways of . 
service; it finds opportunities for expression in all the rela- 
tionships of life, sending its rays with purifying and healing 

50 


LESSON COURSES 


power into the farthest and darkest corners. The Sunday 
school needs no other textbook than the Bible; its brief 
session affords too little opportunity to teach it adequately 
even in a lifetime of faithful attendance. Much less, there- 
fore, should we consider the introduction of anything that 
would take a single moment from the time which is now 
devoted to the study of the Bible. It should be an almost 
inflexible rule in every Sunday school that the Bible-study 
period must be sacredly guarded against intrusions of any 
kind. 

While the Bible is the textbook of the Sunday school, it is 
obvious that each school should not be left to select its own 
subjects and outlines. The earliest leaders in organizing 
Sunday-school work recognized the advantage of having 
definite selected lessons, arranged in series and with some 
degree of continuity and progress in giving the pupils a 
knowledge of the contents of the entire Book. They rec- 
ognized, also, that such a course of lessons would be adapt- 
able to all schools, large and small, and that suitable mate- 
rial in the form of comments could be prepared by the re- 
spective denominational publishing houses, for the use of 
teachers and pupils. For many years the Sunday schools 
confined their work to the gathering of the pupils for 
memorizing of Bible verses and passages and for catechet- 
ical instruction; but when the idea of a single lesson for 
all Sunday schools and for all pupils, prepared in series by 
a competent and representative committee, was advanced, 
it met with widespread and unanimous approval. 


Uniform Lessons.—The father of the Uniform Lesson 
System was B. F. Jacobs who for many years was the 
leader of the Sunday-school forces in the Middle West. 

51 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


For years he labored and argued for the adoption of a single 
lesson to be studied simultaneously by all the schools of 
every denomination. In 1869 the plan was presented to 
the National Convention and two years later it was en- 
dorsed by the representatives of the various Sunday-school 
publications. A committee of five ministers and five lay- 
men was appointed to select a series of lessons to cover a 
period of seven years, and in spite of the various other 
courses that have been developed in recent years, this plan 
is still followed in many of the Sunday schools. The Uni- 
form Lesson System brought to the Sunday-school cause 
the aid of the best Biblical scholars and it promoted a spirit 
of unity which otherwise would not have been realized. 
‘The Uniform Lesson System has served its purpose effec- 
tively. 


Advantages of Graded Lessons.—The Uniform Lesson 
System, however, while it has had many enthusiastic sup- 
porters, has likewise had its opponents. Some have thought 
that the plan of uniformity restricted the larger educational 
development of the Sunday school. During recent years 
graded Sunday-school lessons have come to the front with 
a large and zealous following. Beginning with a series of 
special lessons for the youngest children in the Beginners 
Department, the advocates of the graded system developed 
other separate courses for Primary, Junior, Intermediate 
and Senior grades. They marked a new era in Sunday- 
school teaching. A distinct advantage of the graded lesson 
system is found in the principle upon which it is based, 
placing the child at the center and planning a course of « 
lessons adapted to growing and developing life, instead of 


sacrificing the interests of the child as often appeared to be 
52 


LESSON COURSES 


necessary under the uniform lesson plan in order to pre- 
serve the idea of uniformity and so-called unity within 
the school itself. 

The first course of graded lessons which was offered by 
the International Lesson Committee was a radical depar- 
ture from the uniform lesson plan. It was called the Inter- 
national Graded Series. Instead of basing the lessons for 
the pupils of all ages upon one Scripture passage, different 
passages for each year or grade (each grade representing 
one year) were selected with the special regard to the 
mentality, age, and particular needs of the pupils, as they 
developed year by year. This course, which is now known 
as the ‘‘Closely Graded Course,” covers two years in the 
Beginners Department, three years in the Primary Depart- 
ment, four years in the Junior Department, and continues 
through the Intermediate and Senior Department, the en- 
tire course covering seventeen years, with a separate lesson 
for the pupils each year. It will be seen, therefore, that a 
Sunday school using the Closely Graded Lessons must be 
carefully graded by departments and the pupils within each 
department graded according to their age in separate 
classes. For example, the Junior Department would have 
one class studying the first-year lesson, another studying 
the second-year lesson, another the third-year lesson, and 
another the fourth-year lesson. The purpose of these 
Graded Lessons is to meet the spiritual needs of the pupils 
at each stage of their development. Beginning with lessons 
teaching the child to know God as the Father of all, they 
aim to develop in the heart of the child the spirit of love, 
trust, obedience, and worship. Upon this foundation are 
built lessons teaching our duty toward others and toward 
ourselves, all based upon appropriate Biblical passages. 

53 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Closely Graded Lessons Not Found Adaptable by Many 
small Schools.—These lessons were found to be imprac- 
ticable in many smaller schools, and it became evident to — 
some Sunday-school leaders that for the majority of Sun- 
day schools, and in view of their limited facilities and in- 
adequate leadership, a simpler course must be devised, 
based upon the graded ideal, but more readily adaptable to 
the conditions under which the work of the Sunday school 
must be carried on. 


The Departmental Graded Lessons.—After careful 
thought and study, the plan of the Departmental Graded 
Lessons was developed by the Presbyterian Church, 
U.S. A., i codperation with other denominations, as the 
most practical course for the teaching of the Bible to chil- 
dren and youth of all ages. For the most part, they are 
based upon the same outlines as the International Graded 
Series, but, instead of having a different lesson for each 
year within each department, they provide one lesson for 
all of the classes within each department. Thus the depart- 
ment, rather than the class, is kept in mind. 

The Departmental Graded Lessons were first issued in 
January, 1915. They attracted widespread attention, and 
they were immediately adopted by a large number of 
Presbyterian Sunday schools. Soon other denominations 
adopted them, and later the International Lesson Commit- 
tee, after careful study, gave them its endorsement. Year 
by year, these lessons are being introduced into more Sun- 
day schools in city, town, and rural churches, and they are 
being used with satisfaction. Thus the problem of a suit- ° 
able graded course for many Sunday schools has been satis- 
factorily solved by a course which maintains the highest 

54 


LESSON COURSES 


pedagogical ideals and is in accordance with recognized and 
approved psychological principles. 


The Plan of the Departmental Graded Lesson System. — 
Under the Departmental Graded System, the lessons are 
used in the following manner: 


Beginners Departmental Lessons, for pupils under six 
years of age. 

Primary Departmental Lessons, for pupils six, seven, 
and eight years of age. 

Junior Departmental Lessons, for pupils nine, ten, and 
eleven years of age. 

Intermediate Departmental Lessons, for pupils twelve, 
thirteen, and fourteen years of age. 

Senior Departmental Lessons, for pupils fifteen, sixteen, 
and seventeen years of age. 

Young People’s Departmental Lessons, for pupils from 
eighteen to twenty-three years of age. 

For the Adult Division (from twenty-four years up- 
wards) special elective courses are provided. 

Schools that are not large enough to have more than one 
class of each of the age groups listed above may use the 
Departmental Graded Lessons in each of these classes. 
Where the school is large enough to have more than one 
class in each age group, the classes should be organized into 
departments. 

The Departmental Graded Lessons are issued in the form 
of quarterly periodicals for teachers and for pupils, the 
Teacher’s Quarterly being prepared for the teacher only 
and the Pupil’s Quarterly containing material for the pupil. 


Introducing the Departmental Lessons.—In facing the 
55 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


problems incident to introducing the Departmental Graded 
Lessons into the Sunday school, it must be remembered 
that the lessons are projected according to the age, needs, 
and interests of pupils. Hence, they are usable in any 
school in which are enrolled pupils of the ages indicated in 
the course, whether the school be large or small. The most 
effective use of the Departmental Lessons in any school 
can be secured, however, only when the school has been 
prepared for their introduction, the teachers trained for 
service, and the homes pledged to coédperation. 

The preparation of the school should include: 1. Creat- 
ing sentiment in favor of the new lessons. 2. Grading the 
school. 3. Classification of teachers. 4. Provision of es- 
sential equipment. 5. Regular promotion each year from 
grade to grade, and from department to department. 6. A 
monthly meeting of the teachers and officers of the school. 


Promotions.—To keep the school permanently graded, 
it will be found necessary to plan for regular annual pro- 
motions from department to department. The pupils of 
each department who have reached the required age and 
completed the assigned work should be awarded certificates 
_ with special recognition of any additional work performed, 
such as handwork, and so forth. Pupils who have been 
irregular in attendance and who, in the judgment of the 
teacher or superintendent, have not done the required 
work in studying the lessons, should be promoted when 
they have arrived at the required age, but they should not 
be awarded the certificate. 

Promotions should be made once a year. The best time 
for promotion exercises is the last Sunday of September 
(usually observed as Rally Day). This date is preferred 

56 


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57 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


because the plan of the graded lessons provides for the 
beginning of a new year on the first Sunday in October. It 
should be kept clearly in mind that pupils only are pro-- 
moted. The teachers remain in the department, to receive 
new classes of the pupils who are promoted from the lower 
grade. By following this plan, teachers become very pro- 
ficient in working among pupils of a certain age group, 
besides becoming familiar with the course of lessons, hand- 
work, and supplemental instruction. 


Some General Suggestions.!—1. Since the first lesson of 
all the series of lessons falls on the first Sunday in October, 
the last Sunday in September is the best day for Promotion 
or Recognition Day. 

2. A public service to which parents and teachers are 
invited should be arranged. 

3. There should be special decorations ‘ied and special 
advertising of the event. 

4. The exercises should consist of selected Sateen from 
the courses of the several departments. 

5. Age, ability, and a reasonable knowledge of the grade 
work should be considered in promoting the pupils. 

6. The pupils should be promoted but the teachers 
should remain in their department. 

7. Certificates should be given to the pupils upon the 
completion of the grade work. 

8. It is sometimes necessary to promote some pupils 
without the certificates of honor. This occurs when pupils 
willfully neglect the work. 

9. An exhibit of the pupil’s handwork and notebooks 
should be arranged for the inspection of parents and 


visitors. 
1 Leaflet, ‘‘The Departmental Graded Lessons.” 


58 


LESSON COURSES 


10. Write to your denominational Sunday-school head- 
quarters for samples of promotion exercises. Several dif- 
ferent exercises for use on Promotion Day have been pub- 
lished, and they will be found adaptable to both large and 
small schools. 


The Improved Uniform Lessons.—An effort was made 
by the International Lesson Committee to introduce cer- 
tain improvements in the Uniform Lesson System for such 
schools as may prefer to maintain the idea of uniformity, 
especially in small schools situated in localities where the 
building, equipment, and leadership are not adapted to the 
use of the graded course. The improvement consisted of a 
special adaptation of the same or kindred Biblical passages 
to pupils of each department. Recently special Group 
Graded Lessons have been offered in connection with the 
Uniform Lessons, for Primary, Junior, and Intermediate 
Departments. At the same time the departmental adapta- 
tion, which was a feature of the Improved Uniform Les- 
sons, were omitted. The Uniform Lessons are still available 
for schools which prefer them, adaptation to the depart- 
ment being made by many of the publishing houses which 
prepare material on these lessons. The Uniform Lesson 
System has not been abandoned because of the introduc- 
tion of the Departmental Graded Lessons. Many feel that 
the Departmental Graded Lessons are the best and most 
practical Sunday-school lessons available. Even in the 
smallest rural schools the building may be adapted, by 
the use of curtains and screens, to their use at least for 
the Beginners, Primary, and Junior pupils. (See Chap- 
ter V on “Building and Equipment,’ for suggestions.) 

The growing interest on the part of the Church in the 

59 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Christian nurture of the children and youth will gradually 
bring us to the day when all our church buildings will be 
planned in such a way as to provide adequate facilities for - 
the Christian training and teaching of the rising generation 
in accordance with the best educational ideals and meth- 
ods. Until that time arrives, we must find ways of adapt- 
ing our present inadequate equipment in a manner that 
will enable our schools to progress as far as possible toward 
the attainment of the standard of a fully graded school. 


Objections to Graded Lessons Answered.—Some super- 
intendents have hesitated to introduce Graded Lessons, 
upon the ground that with each department of the school 
studying a different lesson, the unity of the Sunday school 
is destroyed. Experience shows, however, that this diffi- 
culty does not exist necessarily. Many teachers, too, have 
felt it impossible to use these lessons because they are 
unfamiliar with the pedagogical principles on which they 
are based. But with the increased emphasis upon teacher- 
training and the ever-growing number of those who are 
pursuing courses of study in preparation for Sunday-school 
teaching, the appreciation of educational methods is in- 
creasing. The plan of properly graded courses has come to 
stay and the coming years doubtless will witness a wise and 
practical adaptation of the idea by each denomination. 

Others have objected to the Graded Lessons because 
they feel that they obscure the evangelistic aim of the Sun- 
day school and do not offer the same opportunities for 
leading the pupils to an acceptance of Christ. Users of 
these lessons, however, are convinced that this objection is * 
groundless. The teacher is no less responsible for applying 
the truths of the Graded Lesson in a way that will bring 

60 


LESSON COURSES 


conviction, repentance, and an acceptance of Christ, than 
when using the Uniform Lesson. Both courses are Bible 
lessons, both carry the great evangelistic and missionary 
message, and both courses offer the same opportunity to the 
spirit-filled teacher, praying and laboring for the souls of 
the pupils, to lead them to the Saviour. In fact, the experi- 
ence of those who have used the Graded Lessons has been 
that boys and girls have moved in a constant stream from 
the classroom, where the lessons are taught, into the 
church, where they confess Christ as Saviour. 


Lesson Courses for the Three-Hour-a-Week Church 
School. —The rapid growth of the week-day church school 
with its wide variety of adaptations developed the neces- 
sity of providing an additional and suitable course of study 
for its use. At the same time, it was obvious to the 
leaders in this movement that in order to make the work 
of the week-day church school most effective, due recogni- 
tion should be given to the Sunday school and to other 
agencies within the individual church which are engaged in 
teaching and training the same children whom the week- 
day church school enrolls. Conflict between these agencies 
should be avoided. There must be a mutual understanding 
of the common objective for each age group on the part of 
teachers in the Sunday school, teachers in the week-day 
church school, and leaders of the various societies of a mis- 
sionary, expressional, devotional, and social character, who 
appeal to these same groups. Close correlation of the 
material for instruction and expressional activities in all 
of these organizations is the only principle upon which the 
pupils’ needs can adequately be met. 

The solution of this problem is found in the correlated 

61 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


course of lessons offered in The Westminster Textbooks 
of Religious Education. 

The textbooks cover the work of the Primary, Junior, — 
and Intermediate Departments. They contain’ lesson 
materials suitable for use in all phases of the educative 
process. That is, they make possible a program of religious 
education where worship, instruction, and expression are 
given due and proportionate attention. There are forty- 
two lessons for each year and each lesson is threefold in 
the Junior and Intermediate grades, and twofold in the 
Primary grade. In all three grades there is one section 
intended for use in a week-day church-school class and this 
section of the lesson is largely informational. There is also 
a section intended primarily for use on Sunday and this 
section aims to cultivate the spirit of worship as its primary 
objective. There is informational material, as a matter of 
course, but the material is chosen whenever possible with 
a view to the development of a spirit of devotion during 
the lesson period. A third section is included in the Inter- 
mediate and Junior lessons. This section is for use in an 
expressional meeting to be held either on Sunday, at some 
time other than the Sunday-school hour, or on some other 
day in the week. All these sections are so related to one 
another as to make a unified course of Bible study. 


How a Church Could Inaugurate the Plan in Its Entirety. 
—A church wishing to carry out the proposed plan in its 
entirety would need to provide, in addition to its Sunday- 
school and expressional organization, week-day classes for 
all its Primary, Junior, and Intermediate pupils. These’ 
classes would meet for one hour once a week and receive 


instruction based on the sections of the course intended 
62 


LESSON COURSES 


for week-day religious instruction. Instead of the usual 
quarterlies, pupils of the Junior and Intermediate Depart- 
ments would have in their hands the Westminster Text- 
books intended for use in their own department or class. 
Teachers would use the same texts as the pupils. In the 
Primary grades “Pupil’s Stories” and “Supplemental 
Activities” are provided for the pupils. The textbook is 
for the teachers. 


Possible Adaptations When the Plan Is Not Adopted in 
Its Entirety.—‘‘Complete correlation of the educational 
agencies of the Church is impossible unless the plan is put 
on in its entirety. Hence, churches should not modify the 
plan unless there are difficulties in the way which seem 
insurmountable. However, where such conditions exist the 
introduction of the lessons in a modified form ought to be 
productive of distinct improvement in the educational pro- 
gram of the Church.’”! 

The plan of the three-hour-a-week church school should 
be carefully studied by all Sunday-school officers and 
teachers and by pastors and church officers. However 
efficient we may make the Sunday school, it is obvious that 
its various limitations, which are apparent to all who have 
had any experience in its work, make it impossible for it 
to carry the entire responsibility for the Christian nurture 
of the Church’s children. Time must be found during the 
week for additional instruction in the things that contri- 
bute to the development of Christian life and character. 
Splendid pioneer work in this direction is being done by 
the Presbyterian Church and by other denominations. 


1See ‘“‘A Three Hour A Week Church School,” Bulletin No. 8, issued by The 
Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. A. 


63 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Improvements and variations will be made in these plans 
as the experience of different schools, working under dif- 
erent conditions, suggests the advisability of offering such 
adaptations as will enable every community where there 
is a Protestant Church to introduce some form of week- 
day religious instruction. 

The week-day church school is not intended to supplant 
the Sunday school or to relegate it to a subordinate place. 
The Sunday school furnishes the constituency for the week- 
day church school, besides the encouragement, through the 
teachers’ influence and coéperation, to attend its sessions 
both for instruction and expressional work. The week-day 
church-school movement needs the Sunday school, not 
only for its influence, but also because the type of instruc- 
tion which the Sunday school gives is necessary in the 
development of Christian manhood and womanhood. 
Both are a necessary part of the whole church-school plan 
of organization. ye 


64 


CHAPTER V 
BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


The emphasis which is being placed upon religious edu- 
cation by all denominations and the promotion of plans for 
organizing the educational work of the individual churches 
in accordance with approved standards and denomina- 
tional policies have brought us face to face with the prob- 
lems of suitable buildings and equipment. 

Comparatively few church buildings, except those re- 
cently constructed with a special view to provide for the 
instruction and training of the children and youth, are 
adapted to meet the present requirements of our Presby- 
terian educational program. Indeed, the proportion of 
church buildings that are so constructed as to provide 
properly for even a departmentally graded Sunday school 
is pitifully small. This situation has developed because 
most of the church buildings have been planned primarily 
for the purpose of providing for the services of worship, to 
the neglect of the Sunday school which is thus required to 
carry on its work under great disadvantages. In view of 
‘the important place which the Sunday school occupies in 
determining the future of the church, it is the manifest duty 
of every congregation to make the best possible provision 
for its work. We must consider also the recreational life of 
the church’s children and youth. Facilities should be in- 
troduced in every church edifice for social gatherings.. 
Through careful study of the situation and wise planning, 
the chureh building may be so arranged as to meet these 

5 65 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


demands in a satisfactory manner without sacrificing the 
requirements of public worship. 


The Graded School.—The efforts of leaders in religious 
education during the past quarter of a century, in devising 
and promoting graded courses for the Sunday school, and 
the instruction that has been imparted through teacher- 
training classes, schools of method, and conventions, have 
borne fruit in an almost universal acceptance of the ad- 
vantages of adapting the teaching of the Bible to the 
capabilities and needs of children of different ages. It is no 
longer necessary to convince Sunday-school workers that 
the children of the Beginners and Primary ages (from four 
to eight years inclusive) ought each to have their own open- 
ing and closing exercises, with songs which they can under- 
stand and with memory work different from that which is 
provided for Juniors and Seniors. Correspondingly, the 
Juniors should have their own exercises apart from the 
adults. In brief, it has become clearly evident that the 
Sunday-school building that is fully adapted to the present 
needs should provide at least a separate assembly room for 
each department. 

The difficulty of arranging the available space in the 
average church of one or two rooms has been the greatest 
obstacle in the way of introducing the departmentally 
graded organization. Finding it thus impossible to carry 
out all the features of a graded school, and ofttimes equally 
impracticable to obtain a new building constructed for the 
purposes of educational work, many Sunday schools have , 
made no effort in this direction, and may still be found 
conducting their work after the primitive manner of the 


Sunday school of a century ago. 
66 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


Ingenious plans, however, have been devised and suc- 
cessfully used by Sunday schools in which the leaders have 
thoughtfully studied the problem, with a determination to 
effect at least a partial grading of the pupils. Obstacles 
that seemed insurmountable have been overcome by per- 
sistent, patient, and devoted effort. 


THE BUILDING 


The Ideal Plan.—The ideal plan for a church building 
should provide first of all for the departmentally graded 
Sunday school. The requirements are as follows: 


i 


An auditorium for public worship, for the assembling 
of adult classes, and for general Sunday-school gather- 
ings such as Children’s Day, Rally Day, and so forth. 


- A separate room for the Cradle Roll members (ages 


two and three years) and visiting mothers. 


. A separate room containing space for assembly and 


classrooms for the Beginners Department (ages four 
and five years). 


. A separate room containing space for assembly and 


classrooms for the Primary Department (ages six, 
seven, and eight years). 


. A separate room containing space for assembly and 


classrooms for the Junior Department (ages nine, ten, 
and eleven years). 


. A separate room containing space for assembly and 


classrooms for the Intermediate Department (ages 
twelve, thirteen, and fourteen years). 


. A separate room containing space for assembly and 


classrooms for the Senior Department (ages fifteen, 
sixteen, and seventeen years). 


. A separate room containing space for assembly and 


67 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


classrooms for the Young People’s Department (ages 
eighteen to twenty-three, inclusive). | 

9. Separate rooms for Adult classes (ages twenty-four 
years and upwards) and for teacher-training class or 
classes. 


It will be seen that this plan requires several separate 
rooms in addition to the church auditorium, which at first 
glance makes it appear impossible of attainment by the 
average small church. The small, one-room or two-room 
church building cannot possibly be adapted in such a way 
as to provide such facilities without building an addition 
to the present structure. 

But let us see what can be done. We may begin by mak- 
ing provision for the Beginners Department. If the church 
has a room in addition to the church auditorium, it should 
be assigned to the Beginners Department. If it is large 
enough to accommodate the Primary Department also, it 
may be divided by rolling doors or, more inexpensively, by 
a curtain hung on an iron pipe, with pulleys so that it may 
be drawn close to the wall on either side when the entire 
room is used for other gatherings. The two Departments 
may have a few moments of opening exercises with songs 
familiar to both grades, and then the curtains or doors 
should be closed for the teaching period, opening the cur- 
tains again for the closing hymn, so that each Department 
may carry on its own special study and work. (See “The 
Beginners Department,’ Oglevee.) 

The remaining Departments, will be obliged to assemble 
in the church auditorium for the exercises of worship at the ° 
opening of the school, but for the teaching period the 
classes may each be separated by curtains made of light, 
inexpensive material hung upon arms attached to the side 

68 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


walls. These curtains may be drawn during the lesson 
period and pushed back against the wall during assembly. 
Some churches have used ordinary window shades with 
rollers fastened perpendicularly against the wall, the cur- 
tain being drawn out and fastened to the ends of a pew 
during the lesson period, thus providing each class with a 
separate compartment. The choir platform also may be 
curtained off for use as a classroom. Before the closing 
hymn and prayer, the curtains are rolled back at a signal 
from the pianist. 


Remodeling the Church.—Another plan, which is very 
simple but practical, is suggested by which provision can 
be made for separate classrooms. It requires, however, a 
remodeling of the building. The following diagrams are 
reproduced from a pamphlet on Sunday-school architec- 
ture by Rev. P. E. Burroughs, of Nashville, Tennessee, 
author of “Church and Sunday-School Buildings” and ‘“‘A 
Complete Guide to Church Building,” and are used by 
permission. He shows how the side wall may be cut off 
the first ten or twelve feet of the length of the building, 
providing a vestibule with classrooms on either side. (See 
Figures 1 and 2.) He suggests further: 

“1. If the ceiling is high, this space may be duplicated 
above, thus securing two or three classrooms on the upper 
floor. Or the pulpit may be moved up a few feet from the 
rear of the building and rooms built on either side. 

“2. Addition may be made to the rear of the building. 
Such addition may vary from the inexpensive ‘lean-to’ to 
the elegant two-story structure. 

“*3. Additions may be made to one or both sides of the 
building. The writer has seen such remodelings ranging 

69 


P 
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 
from the simplest addition of two rooms to the imposing 
structure which more than doubled the original building. - 

‘4, Additions may be made on both the sides and rear 
of the one-room building. 

“5. A ground floor may be provided under the present 
one-room building, thus doubling its floor space. 

“6. Changes and additions may be made at the front of 
the building. A wide colonial porch may be added at com- 
paratively small expense. A tower may be erected, pro- 
viding for a vestibule and offering classrooms on either 
side. 

“7. The above-named methods may be combined in 
various ways. The two buildings shown in Figures 1-4, 
illustrate several of the methods of remodeling suggested 
above. These successful remodelings indicate somewhat 
the range of possibility in this line. | 

“The Enon Church, near Hollins, Virginia, has been 
completely transformed. The old square tower has given 
way to a beautiful circular belfry. A spacious and inviting 
colonial porch adds beauty to the front. At the rear a two- 
story addition offers ample provision for all types of social 
and educational service. This remodeled building known 
as ‘The White Church Among the Oaks,’ is a model of 
elegant design and offers admirable facilities for modern 
church and community service. 

“The remodeled community church, Badger Grove, 
Indiana, constitutes the most striking transformation of a 
one-room building of which the writer knows. The exte- 
rior and floor plans of the remodeled building may well « 
be studied even by those who are planning a new 
building. 

“The point on which the writer would insist is that the 

70 


| ' 
BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


one-room building can almost always be so remodeled as 
to offer fairly satisfactory equipment. It is really wonder- 
ful what a skilled architect can accomplish in the way of 
remodeling present buildings, small or large. Furnish such 


an architect with these items of information and he will do | 
the rest: (1) Size and location of lot, (2) kodak pictures of » 


ra 


present building from two or three viewpoints, (3) dimen- | 


sions of building, height of wall, and pitch of roof, (4) pen- 
ciled sketch of floor plan, (5) additional needs which ought 
to be supplied, (6) amount of money which is to be ex- 
pended. This is an important item. 

“Tt is often difficult to determine whether the old build- 
ing should be remodeled or whether it is wiser to pull down 
the old building and erect a new one. When serious doubt 
exists, the question may well be referred to the architect for 
his advice. Generally speaking, if the present building is 
well preserved, it can be used to advantage in the new 
order and at considerable saving in expense.”’ 

The building (Figure 1) was originally one large room 
with a vestibule extending across the front. By means of 
inexpensive partitions, rooms were obtained for the Be- 
ginners and Primary Departments on each side of the vesti- 
bule. The auditorium was divided into classrooms by cur- 
tains, as indicated by dotted lines, and the organized 
classes were assigned to separate rooms on either side of 
the pulpit, which were made possible by light wall-board 
partitions. This building provides for a Sunday school of 
about one hundred members. 

Another plan of remodeling is suggested by an addition 
to the rear of the building. Figure 2 shows how an inex- 
pensive addition may be made to almost any one-room 
church. Suppose the present building is forty feet wide, 

71 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


the addition here suggested would be 15 x 40 feet. Pro- 
visions would then be made for about forty pupils. The ~ 
drawing shows three separate department rooms and indi- 


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AUDITOLIUIA 





Ficure 1 


cates tables with chairs in accordance with the best modern 
usage. 
Figure 3 shows a yet larger and more desirable addition. 
If the present building is forty feet wide, the proposed addi- 
72 


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74 





a 
BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


tion would be 20 x 65 feet and would accommodate about 
eighty pupils. 

Figure 4 shows how a two-story Sunday-school house 
may be added to the rear of a one-story building. Floor 
plans of this addition are presented in the following draw- 
ings, Figures 5 and 6, which show complete arrangements 
for a larger school. 

Addition may be made both to the sides and rear of the 
building as shown in the following diagram: 


Pz 





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Figure 7 is the same as Figure 3 with side wings added, 
thus enlarging the seating capacity of the auditorium. By 
75 


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Pian II 
76 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


this plan provision would be made for about one hundred 
and fifty pupils. 
Many small churches can take only one step beyond the 










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Puan III 


old-type, one-room church building. For such churches we 
propose the plan given in Plan I. (See page 76.) The 
design is neat and attractive in appearance, and because 


long, unsupported reaches and expensive trussings are 
“ie 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


avoided, the building can be erected at less cost than the 
old-type one-room building which incloses the same space. 
This building can be erected for a very modest sum.. 

Plan II has met with much favor and has been used in 


any SLY? 
PRIMALY PEFPARIMENT 
(v¥V a: 





BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


the erection of buildings in several states. Before the war 
these buildings were in some cases erected in wood frame 
for $1,500, and in one instance (Estill Springs, Tennessee) 
the building was erected in cement blocks for $2,000. 

Auditorium seats 150. 

Adjoining rooms seat 80. 

Total in sight of pulpit, 230. 





S LIAO 
DEPORT T 
M9 X19" 







Plan III is an exceptionally good small church design. It 
follows somewhat the lines on which we are accustomed to 
see church buildings erected. This is regarded as one of the 
choicest and most practical of the small designs for country 


churches. 
79 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


In Plan IV we have a practical building which would 
lend itself to the various needs of a country or village 
church. This building will approve itself especially to those 
who may want modern equipment without radical depart- 
ure from traditional forms. The architect, Mr. Frank L. 
Smith, Lexington, Kentucky, developed this design with a 





THe New Tyre Country Cuurca 


view “to get practical modern equipment at the lowest 
possible cost.” 

Plan V is a type of building which, like those already 
presented, admits of expansion in dimensions without 
affecting the design. The architects who designed the 
building offer plans with auditorium 30 x 30, 35 x 35, and 
40 x 40 feet. 

80 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


Building a New Church. — Various plans are available for 
church buildings which will adequately provide for the 
Sunday school, for the various societies of the church, and 

















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for recreational and social purposes at a moderate cost. 

It will be found, upon consulting an architect or builder, 

that the expense of the building arranged in this manner is 

but little more than the cost of the one-room building. The 
6 81 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


figures on pages 80 and 81 show the one and the new-style 
country church buildings. 

The size of the building can readily be determined by the 
number of pupils to be provided for. A Beginners Depart- 
ment, for example, with an enrollment of thirty-five pupils, 
should have a floor space of about seven hundred ‘square 
feet, or an average of twenty square feet for each pupil, in 
order to allow for a circle of about seventeen feet in diam- 
eter and for four classes, each with a table, and chairs for 
nine pupils. Separate classrooms in other grades above the 
Primary should measure not less than 9x 10 feet. The 
young people’s and adult classes will probably require 
larger rooms. | 

A neat and inexpensive building is shown in diagram on 
the next page. It may be either of frame or brick. The 
floor plan shows an auditorium 31 x 35 feet, seating two 
hundred. There are two classrooms on either side, 10 x 12 
feet, two on either side of the front entrance, 10 x 10 feet, 
and three rooms at the rear. The two rooms at the sides 
and the two in front are separated by folding doors from 
the auditorium and can be thrown open, adding one hun- 
dred seats to the auditorium. A basement for furnace and 
fuel is a part of this plan. 

Another plan of a somewhat different type of building 
retains an attractive style of architecture, and provides in 
a very effective manner for Sunday-school work. The 
rooms may be made larger or smaller as desired, or the 
building may be raised three feet or more and a basement 
with ample windows secured, which would provide separate 
rooms for the Beginners, Primary, and Junior grades. This 
is the goal of organization toward which to aim. (See 
page 84.) 

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? This plan and the two following diagrams are used by courtesy 
of J. A. Baylor, D.D., Architectural Secretary of the Board of Church 
Extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church (South), Louisville, 
Kentucky. 

83 


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BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


Other plans are suggested for schools with an attendance 
of about two hundred, as follows: 

Plans VI and VII.—For schools numbering about two 
hundred. (Light and ventilation are assured by clear story 
windows over department rooms.) 


STALL ASSEMBLY 
Anis YOUNG PEOPLE 





Puan VI 


Plan VIII.— Providing generously for schools numbering 
about two hundred. (Printed by courtesy of the Church 
Extension Board, Methodist Episcopal Church; South, J. 
A. Baylor, Architectural Secretary, Louisville, Kentucky.) 

These plans can be adapted to smaller churches and 
schools by the local architect. 

Other plans may be obtained by addressing the Board 
of National Missions, 156 Fifth Ave., New York City. 

ne 5) 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 





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86 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


Costs 
We have made no attempt to estimate the cost of the 
buildings for which plans have been suggested because of 
the fluctuating price of building material of all kinds. 
The best way to proceed is to place the matter in the 
hands of a competent committee consisting of the superin- 
tendent of the Sunday school, the pastor, and representa- 


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Puan VIII 


tives of the congregation. After they have decided upon 
their plans for remodeling, additions, or a new building, an 
architect should be consulted and working plans drawn. 
These may then be submitted to a builder to estimate the 
cost of construction. Correspondence should be had with 
Divisions of Buildings and Property, The Board of Na- 
tional Missions, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York City, for 
additional plans and suggestions, or if financial aid is 


required. 
87 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


EQUIPMENT 


The best musical instrument for the Sunday school is the 
piano. In the thoroughly graded school each department 
should have a piano, if it is financially possible, but where 
this is impossible, the Beginners and Primary Depart- 
ments may use a small organ of the folding type which is 
inexpensive. In many cases excellent work is done even 
without a musical instrument. 


Songbooks suitable for each department should be ob- 
tained. In the Beginners and Primary Departments it is 
not necessary to provide songbooks for the pupils, as their 
songs are usually learned by memorizing the words. The 
best books containing suitable songs for these Departments 
are: “Carols”’; ‘Songs for Little People”; “Song Stories 
for the Sunday School.” The Westminster Press, Wither- 
spoon Building, Philadelphia, has published a very helpful 
assortment of programs for conducting the Beginners and 
Primary Departments. Every Beginners and Primary 
superintendent should possess a copy, for suggestions as to 
suitable hymns, prayers, and so forth. 

For the Junior, Intermediate, Senior, Young People’s, 
and Adult Departments, the songbook “ Alleluia,” pub- 
lished by the Board of Christian Education of the Presby- 
terian Church in the U. 8. A. is recommended. Many feel 
that it contains the best collection of hymns for worship 
and for special occasions that has yet been offered for the 
use of Sunday schools and it is universally recognized as the 
standard for Sunday-school music. 

Each department, or class, should be provided with a 


blackboard for illustrations, memory work, announce- 
ey 88 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


ments, reports, and the like. Teaching through the eye 
gate is one of the most effective methods of impressing 
truth permanently upon the minds of the pupils. The 
resourceful teacher and superintendent will find the black- 
board an indispensable part of the equipment for efficient 
work. . 

Wherever possible, tables should be provided for the 
classes. Especially in the Beginners, Primary, and Junior 
grades, the teacher’s work will be facilitated by having a 
table around which the pupils may be gathered, thus en- 
abling them to do handwork and to display objects illus- 
trating the lesson. 

The secretary and treasurer should be provided with a 
table or desk for their joint use. Class books, collection 
envelopes, and record books for the secretary and treasurer 
are indispensable. Various methods for recording attend- 
ance and offerings are used, and your denominational 
publishing house will cheerfully suggest the most practical 
systems at prices within the reach of every school. 


Lesson helps for each department should be kept in a 
plain cabinet, with which each department should be pro- 
vided, together with blank paper, pencils, crayons, pic- 
tures, and so forth, for handwork. 

Every Sunday school should possess a workers’ library, 
containing the best books on Sunday-school work. A begin- 
ning may be made with a few books, carefully selected, con- 
sidering first the needs of the teachers in the Beginners, 
Primary, and Junior Departments and of the superinten- 
dent of the Cradle Roll. An excellent set of books contain- 
ing eleven volumes, full of information concerning the best 
methods of conducting every department of the Sunday 

89 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


school, written by nationally recognized leaders, may be 
obtained, packed in a neat case, for five dollars (twenty-_ 
five cents extra for postage). (‘‘The Westminster Guide 
Books,” published by the Board of Christian Education of 
the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., Witherspoon 
Building, Philadelphia, Pa.). A free catalogue including 
other books which will be of value to officers and teachers 
may be obtained at the same headquarters, and suggestions 
will cheerfully be given concerning the best books to be 
purchased for the amount of money the school desires to 
appropriate for this purpose. These books should be in 
charge of the librarian and careful records should be kept. 
(See Appendix D for list of the best books for workers’ 
libraries. ) | 


A Sunday-school library containing the best storybooks 
suitable for children and young people should be main- 
tained and placed at the disposal of the pupils. Stories of 
great national characters and events, hero tales from the 
history of our own and other countries, and stories of mis- 
sionary lands and missionary heroes, never fail to interest 
the boys and girls, and they are valuable aids in the pro- 
motion of the missionary spirit. The library should be 
renewed from time to time by the addition of new books. 
The alert and efficient librarian will learn how to popu- 
larize the Sunday-school library, recommending the books 
which are especially suitable for boys and girls of different 
ages, and encouraging them to read them. 

The best story papers for boys and girls and young peo- . 
ple are those published by our own denominational publish- 
ing house: “The Pioneer” for boys, ‘Queens Gardens” 


for girls of the Junior and Intermediate age, and “ For- 
90 


BUILDING AND EQUIPMENT 


ward” for Seniors, Young People, and Adults. We cannot 
afford to give our pupils anything but the best periodical 
literature. Cheapness should not be considered in the 
selection of the papers offered to our children and young 
people. Insubscribing for the papers prepared by their own 
denominational publishing agency the Sunday-school offi- 
cers and teachers may feel perfectly satisfied that the 
pupils are receiving literature of an uplifting and whole- 
some character. 


Charts containing The Lord’s Prayer, Ten Command- 
ments, Beatitudes, Twenty-third Psalm, Apostles’ Creed, 
and books of the Bible should be included in the Sunday- 
school equipment. These charts printed in colors on mus- 
lin may be obtained at a nominal price. 


Pictures of Bible scenes and events, copies from the 
works of the great artists, may be obtained for a small sum, 
and framed, for decorating the walls of the rooms in which 
the Beginners, Primary, and Junior classes hold their ses- 
sions. They should be hung low enough for the children to 
examine and study them, as they will undoubtedly do if 
the pictures are within reach. 


A set of Bible maps should be secured for the use of the 
Junior, Intermediate, and Young People’s classes, and 
especially for the teacher-training class. Consult your 
denominational publishing house for the best maps and 
prices. 

Remember that your denominational Sunday-school 
headquarters is a service bureau for all the educational 
agencies of the Church: viz., the Sunday school, Daily 
Vacation Bible School, week-day church school, Young 

91 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


People’s organizations, missionary societies, and so forth. 
Leaders in the Sunday school and other departments of the © 
church activities should not hesitate to write for sugges- 
tions concerning any phase of their work or for the solution 
of their local problems. This service is free and it rep- 
resents the most competent leadership in educational work. 
Denominational loyalty, as well as the best interests of the 
pupils, demand that all the lesson material and equipment 
for the Sunday school be purchased at the denominational 
publishing house. 


Recreational Equipment.—In order to hold the interest 
of the boys and girls, plans should be made for recreational 
activities, and, whenever necessary, the Sunday school 
should provide the necessary supplies. Games, equipment 
for basketball, volley ball, baseball, and other healthful 
sports should be provided. Capable leaders for boys and 
girls in developing their recreational life should be ap- 
pointed and given the hearty support of the school in pro- 
moting their plans. This is a phase of work which is too 
often neglected, especially in the smaller, rural Sunday 
schools, but it is sufficiently important to be given a 
prominent place in the program of every Sunday school. 
If desirable, organizations for boys and girls may be 
formed with this special purpose in view, such as “The 
Presbyterian Pioneers”’ for boys, and “Camp Fire Girls” 
for the girls. The Pioneers is an organization especially 
recommended for Presbyterian boys. Write to the denomi- 
national headquarters for bulletins containing suggestions ° 
for work among boys and girls, and for the “Handbook 
for Presbyterian Pioneers.” 


92 


CHAPTER VI 


PRACTICAL PLANS FOR BUILDING UP THE 
MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


The Sunday school should constantly be recruiting new 
members. In every community boys and girls will be 
found who do not attend any Sunday school and who will 
readily respond to an invitation from their companions to 
accompany them to their school. Every Sunday-school 
pupil should be a recruiting officer for the school. The 
object of such efforts is not merely to add new members for 
the sake of boasting of numerical strength, but because the 
Sunday school offers opportunities for Christian nurture 
which no other institution can provide. The pupils should 
be trained to understand that the Sunday school is an en- 
terprise for community uplift and citizen-training in which 
every boy and girl should be enlisted. 

Study your field. Every officer, teacher, and pupil in the 
school ought to know exactly what the boundaries of the 
school’s parish are. It would be a good idea to have a map 
drawn and hung in a prominent place, showing the district 
for which the school is responsible, and locating, by the use 
of pins, the homes in each block that are represented in the 
membership of the school. 


Stopping the Leaks.—It is of first importance to check 
the outflow. This cannot be done without very persist- 
ent effort on the part of officers, teachers, and pupils to keep 
in close touch with absentees, especially in behalf of those 

93 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


whose attendance is so intermittent as to indicate that the 
school does not have a very strong hold upon them. 

This may be done by the use of special post cards. A 
variety of such cards is available, avoiding the necessity of 
using the same card twice; or if preferred, each school may 
print its own forms for this purpose. Sometimes a personal 
letter is more effective. Best of all, the teachers should 
visit the homes of the absentees and cultivate a closer and 
more friendly interest in them. 


Recognition of Attendance. —This may take the form of 
a recognition of perfect attendance of class groups, or of 
individuals, or both. It is probably well, however, to 
emphasize group loyalties, although there is much to be 
said in favor of individual records. This recognition is 
quite general in the larger Sunday schools, and: in many 
cases in the smaller schools. Sometimes a banner is pre- 
sented to the class on the day on which it has a perfect 
record in the matter of attendance. At the end of the 
month another banner, or another recognition, is planned, 
if the class has been perfect in attendance during the 
month. At the end of the year a permanent trophy is ap- 
propriate. There are many button systems, such as the 
cross and crown system, with recognition for individuals 
who have a perfect attendance record for periods of from 
one month to five or six or even ten years. No one of 
these methods will hold the interest of the school continu- 
ously, but they may be used for considerable periods with 
success. 


The Honor Roll.—An honor roll is one of the very best 
ways of recognizing regular attendance on the part of the 


pupils, and many Sunday-school members point with pride 
94 


BUILDING UP THE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


to their names on the permanent ‘Honor Roll” of the 
school. These rolls are of many kinds. They may be 
secured from various publishing houses or prepared locally. 


Attendance Roll.—The attendance roll is made in two 
sizes with thirteen squares Oppo- 
site each name, representing the 
thirteen weeks of the quarter. 
Enter the names of the members 
of the class at the left and each 
Sunday put on stickers as fol- 
lows: A gold star for attendance 
with lesson; a red star for ab- 
sence without excuse; a green 
star for out of town; a flag seal 
for sick and excused. The above 
are merely suggested. Any sys- 
tem may be adopted as desired. 
Stars may be obtained in gold, 
red, green, blue, and silver, besides the colored flag seals. 
The roll when completed is strikingly picturesque and is 
an incentive to better work. 





Class Organization. —An effective method of holding the 
pupils of the Young People’s Department is to organize the 
classes according to the plan recommended by Sunday- 
school leaders of all denominations. Classes thus organized 
are in the best position to secure new recruits, and their 
social and church activities serve to retain and develop 
their interest. Teachers of Young People’s classes should 
study with the superintendent of the Young People’s De- 
partment the various plans that have been found helpful 
and effective. (Write to the Board of Christian Educa- 

95 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


tion of the Presbyterian Church in the UMS: A. for free 
bulletins.) 


Organized Adult Bible Classes.—All Bible classes of 
adults should be organized in accordance with the standard 
adopted by all denominations. (Send for free leaflet, ‘The 
Organized Adult Bible Class.’’) Regular attendance is 
secured through the work of Visiting and Follow-Up Com- 
mittees, and new members are constantly being added by 
the systematic and continuous effort of Membership Com- 
mittees. Social gatherings are held at frequent intervals 
and various forms of church activity are definitely pro- 
moted. (Send for free leaflet, “The Adult Class Serv- 
ing.’’) 

Have a chart in each department showing the growth or 
decline in attendance. Mount this upon heavy cardboard. 
The attention of the school should frequently be called to 
note the upward or downward direction of the line indicat- 
ing attendance. 


Sunday-School Register Boards, Oak Register Boards 
with Cardboard Slides and Numerals. 
—Every school should have a register 
board showing a comparison each Sun- 
day with the corresponding Sunday of 
the previous year. These register 
boards are made of oak, light and dark 
wood. They include cards containing 
the words: Register; Attendance and 
Offermg; Number on the Roll ; At-" 
tendance To-Day; Attendance a Year 
Ago To-Day; Offering To-Day; Offering a Year Ago 'To- 
Day; Offering Last Sunday; Attendance Last Sunday; 
96 





BUILDING UP THE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


Record of Attendance; Record of Offering; Hymns; 
Psalms; and six sets of numerals. 


Community Canvass.—Do not be satisfied until you 
know what are the numerical possibilities of the school. 
This can be determined only by making a community can- 
vass or survey. This survey must be conducted wisely, 
tactfully, and thoroughly, in order to be of real value. It 
should be intrusted to a committee of adults, with power 
to enlist as many others as may be needed. 


Visitor’s Card.—Curious things have been revealed 
by surveys. In a few cases schools have discovered that 
they did not have so large a field, especially among the 
children, as they had supposed, but in most cases the op- 
posite is true, and it has been found that there were far 
more individuals unreached than anyone had imagined. 

In any case the setting of definite limits to the field, and 
the making of a survey to discover the number of individ- 
uals living within them, the number attending Sunday 
schools or connected with other religious schools, the num- 
ber of children of school age, and the number unreached 
by any Sunday school, will show the task of the school so 
clearly that nothing but good can result. The survey itself 
will, of course, accomplish little. 
It must be followed by personal 
work. 

One Sunday school in Chicago 
organized a Promotion and Pub- 
licity Department, with most sat- 
isfactory results. A very marked increase in membership 
and attendance followed the work of this Department. The 
plan was to keep in touch with the entire district and to 

7 97 





THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


know what was happening. Vacant houses and moving 
vans were watched, and as soon as a new family came into 
the community, it was visited by some member of the 
school. Children were at once invited to attend the Sunday 
school, if they were not already members of some other 
school. 


Membership Contests.—Friendly contests between 
classes within each department, and between departments 
also, are helpful in reaching the goal set for enlarged mem- 
bership. Each department and each class is assigned 
its quota of new members to be obtained. It is expected 
to go beyond the quota if possible. 


Color Contests.—The Red and Blue Celluloid Contest 
Buttons. For use in connection with all red and blue 
contests. Celluloid buttons or pins, with metal backs and 
approved fastenings for attaching to the clothing. The 
lettering, “S.S. R. & B. Contest,” on each button, arouses 
just enough curiosity to secure interest, and thus adds to 
the enthusiasm. 


Bring One and Brought One Buttons. The plan is to 
have two captains who will choose sides, one for red, one for 
blue; everybody to wear a Bring One button. Outsiders 
will ask what it means, and members must. necessarily 
give the invitation. The Brought One button is given for 
new members. 


Celluloid Buttons for Contests.—These buttons are one 
half or seven eighths of an inch in diameter with pix 
backs. They are all solid colors, red, blue, green, purple, 
white, and gold. 

These buttons are very suitable for friendly contests for 

98 


BUILDING UP THE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


attendance or offering in the school where more than two or 
three sides are desired. Color contests, as they are called, 
have become very popular for such purposes. 





SS 
R&B 
‘@) A 
Onte? 
Worker’s Button Neutral’s Button Captain’s Button 


(Red and Blue) (White) (Red and Blue) 





The Reds’ and Blues’ Buttons 
: (Red and Blue) 





Dial of Progress.—The “Dial of Progress” is the very 
latest device on the market designed for contests in secur- 
99 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


ing new members and increasing the efficiency of Sunday 
schools, Young People’s societies, Brotherhoods, and or- 
ganized classes. 

The Dial of Progress is the invention of a practical Sun- 
day-school man, and is the outgrowth of plans to increase 
the membership of the Sunday school. 

It keeps the attendance up to the top notch; and helps 
to increase the membership, besides developing a strong 
Sunday-school spirit. 


Publicity.—This is one of the most important features of 
an attendance and membership campaign. The interest 
should be maintained by detailed announcements from the 
pulpit and from the superintendent’s desk of plans, prog- 
ress that is being made, besides other matters of interest, 
experiences of canvassers, and so forth. The town paper 
should be used; also leaflets should be distributed. 

Many achoas print leaflets describing their organization, 
their curriculum, the dates of the school year, special occa- 
sions, plans for the school worship, and other items of 
interest. These give dignity to all the Sunday-school 
functions and call attention to unrecognized values in the 
Sunday school. Church bulletins may also be used for a 
similar purpose. A Sunday-school bulletin, containing 
notes from the librarian, secretary, and other officers of the 
school, together with items of interest about individual 
pupils, and the school in general may be used to good 
advantage. In some cases the pupils themselves could 
prepare and print this bulletin. Be sure to have a strong * 
Publicity Committee. 

Church Members Enlisted.—A large proportion of our 
adult Church members should be enlisted in Sunday-school 

100 


ee 


BUILDING UP THE MEMEERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 
service. Systematic effort should be made to ing the 
matter before them by am annual canvass or by amy other 
fective meas. Many schools have used enlistment 
Gienks Ge dlusiratiom) with mod results, dstributmg 
them among the members of the comgregstion who ze 
net actively engaged im the work of the sxxhool 
4 special Sunday should be devoted to this and 2 ser- 
mom should be deltvered upon the importance and value of 
the work of the Sunday school. Parents’ meetings should 
be held 2 least twice 2 year, to which all the members of 
the comgresstiom should be mvited. After 2 few Oref 
 adidremes describing the aims of cach department, the 
lessons studied_ and => forth, there should be am hour of 
Adopt the degen. “Every Member of the Church 2 
Member of the Sunday School.” Print i om all the charch 
Itersture and keep ii comstantiy before the comgresstion 
The membership of the Home Department and Cradle 
Boll is usually neinded in the Sumdsy-school enrollment. 
New members should constantiy be enrolled m the Home 
Department by the Home Department Visitors, calimg 
upem tiese who should be interested and endeavoring to 
enlist them im the work of the Sumday school Every Sa 
day school having s Home Department should aim to enroll 
every adult member of the church who does not attend the 
Sumday—cheel sessions. 
~The Cradle Roll may be enlarged by the activity of the 
alert Cradle Rail superimtendent, who calls st every home 
where there is a new baby and asks the permission of the 
parents te enroll the infant ac a member of the Sumday- 
seheol Cradle Roll A beautifully engraved certificate. im 
eolors, bearing the name of the baby, the date of its birth. 
101 





THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


and the name of the Sunday school i is presented to the 
parents. 


Social Gatherings.—New enthusiasm and loyalty may 
be developed among Sunday-school pupils by placing 
greater emphasis upon cultivating the social spirit, espe- 
cially among the young people. A social evening every 
two or three months, with an attractive program arranged 
by a committee upon which the young people themselves 
are represented, is one of the most effective methods of 
popularizing the school in the community besides devel- 
oping a strong Sunday-school spirit. Games, contests, 
pageants, and dramatizations in great variety may be used 
for this purpose. Light refreshments should be served dur- 
ing the period reserved for social fellowship. 


Caring for New Recruits.—It is quite as important to 
provide properly for the care of new pupils as it is to enlist 
them. Arrangement should be made for new classes, and 
for teachers trained and prepared to take charge of them. 
Avoid overcrowding your classes. Smaller classes can be 
taught more effectively, and there will be fewer losses. If 
you are going “‘out into the highways and hedges,”’ be sure 
to have places provided for those who respond to your 
invitation. 


Receiving New Members.—Adopt some satisfactory 
method of recognizing new members and introducing them 
to the school. Marion Lawrance in “How to Conduct a 
Sunday School” suggests the following as a tried and effec-' 
tive plan: 

“At the opening of the school, during the playing of an 
instrumental number by the orchestra or pianist, a suffi- 

? 102 


BUILDING UP THE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


cient number of front seats are vacated to accommodate 
the new members. The new pupils then take these seats, 
the younger pupils in the front and the older pupils in the 
rear. The row of seats or chairs just behind these new 
members is then occupied by those teachers into whose 
classes new members have entered during the quarter. 
When the time comes to form the ‘Love Circle,’ to which 
reference is made in the exercise below, the officers of the 
school take their places at the sides and in front of the seats 
occupied by the new members, and join hands with one 
another and with the teachers seated behind the new mem- 
bers. Within this Love Circle are the new members, also 
the pastor and superintendent. While these officers and 
teachers are standing with their hands clasped, the pastor 
leads in the prayer of consecration and thanksgiving, and 
then the greeting hymn is sung. 

“Tt would be difficult to overestimate the benefit accruing 
to the school from such a service as this, when it is entered 
into with heartiness. It does much to cultivate the school 
spirit and it dignifies the school itself.’ Then the 
following exercise is presented as a suggestion: 


Superintendent: The following have been enrolled as mem- 
bers of our Sunday school during the first three 
months of ———-——, and it is our pleasure to-day 
to extend to them all a most cordial and hearty wel- 
come. What is our aim as a school? 

School: ‘Every member present every Sunday, on time, 
with his Bible, a liberal offering, a studied lesson, 
and a mind to learn.” 

Superintendent: What is our watchword? 

School: ‘‘What would Jesus do?”’ 

103 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Superintendent: What is our motto? 

School: ‘‘Remember Jesus Christ.” 

Pastor: Words of greeting. 

Superintendent (To the new members): You have heard 
our words of welcome. You have heard the school 
repeat our aim, our watchword, and our motto. 
You have heard from our pastor the meaning of 
Sunday-school membership. Will you promise to 
try, as far as you possibly can, to join with us in 
carrying out the high ideals of our school? 

New Members: I will. 

School: We gladly receive you. In the name of our com- 
mon Lord we bid you welcome. Our work is | 
worthy of our best endeavor. We promise to help 
you. We expect you to help us. Let us labor 
together to build one another up in every Christian 
grace, and to make our beloved Sunday school a 
strength and credit to the Church, and a power‘for 
God in our city and in the world. 

Superintendent: In the name of Jesus Christ. 

School: Amen. 


Our Love Circle.—““The Love Circle will be formed by 
all the officers, and the teachers of classes in which are new 
members, joining hands, within which will be the new 
members.” ; 

While the circle is formed, a reception hymn should be 
sung, followed by a prayer of consecration and thanksgiv- 
ing by the pastor. : 

The benediction is then pronounced and the different 
departments return to their places. 


The value of such an exercise is obvious. 
104 


BUILDING UP THE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


This is given by way of suggestion and it is capable of 
adaptation to the conditions prevailing in each school. 


Follow Up Absentees.— Many Sunday schools make the 
mistake of failing to exact from the pupils a good reason 
for their absence. It is certain that if we allow their re- 
peated absences to go unnoticed, they will soon lose interest 
entirely and it will be exceedingly difficult to reclaim 
them. The results of careful follow-up work are seen 
immediately in increased regularity on the part of the 
pupils, and the cultivation of a closer contact between the 
teacher and the pupil. The follow-up work may be done 
in a variety of ways. The use of post cards is usually 
found to be effective. 

A variety of post cards for use in this manner may be 
obtained at the denominational Sunday-school publishing 
house. 

If the post card does not produce the required result, the 
pupil should be visited until reclaimed or until every pos- 
sibility of reclaiming is exhausted. 


Coéperation of the Home.—The Sunday school has lost 
immeasurably by the gradual abandonment of the visita- 
tion of the pupils in their homes. We cannot do Sunday- 
school work successfully on a professional or semiprofes- 
sional basis. | 

It is a frequent subject of remark among Sunday-school 
workers that much of the effectiveness of Sunday-school 
effort is lost because of the lack of codperation of the home. 
But is the home altogether to be blamed for the apparent 
indifference of the parents to the work which the Sunday 
school is endeavoring to do, and for its failure, which many 


of our conscientious teachers feel most keenly, to extend 
105 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


their active support in their labors? How can the parents 
intelligently codperate with those who are instructing their 
children in religion unless they know what the teacher is 
teaching and what is required of the pupil? Unfortunately 
many of the parents have little more than a. speaking 
acquaintance with those who are teaching their children in 
the Sunday school, and in many cases the teachers make no 
more effort than the parents to cultivate a closer intimacy. 

Where teachers in the Primary and Junior Department 
find it difficult to interest the children in doing the hand- 
work suggested in connection with the Departmental 
Graded Lessons, it is usually because the parents are not 
informed of the plans of the Sunday school with regard to 
such matters. 

Again, we find it difficult to get the children to study the 
Sunday-school lessons at home. Is not this also largely due 
to the failure of the Sunday school to enlist the active co- 
operation of the parents? Parents’ meetings may help- 
fully be used for the purpose of informing the parents con- 
cerning these things, and the codperation of many parents 
may thus be secured. Such meetings should be included 
in the Sunday school’s yearly program, but they are not a 
satisfactory substitute for the personal presence of the 
teacher in the home. 

How can the teacher lead the children aright unless he 
knows something of their home environment? How can 
he properly adapt the lessons to their individual needs 
without knowing the quality of the influences that are 
shaping their lives in the home, and the handicaps, if any,’ 
which they must overcome in order to develop characters 
that are truly Christian? 

The problem of irregular attendance would largely be 

106 


BUILDING UP THE MEMBERSHIP AND ATTENDANCE 


solved if the custom of visiting the pupils were revived. 
Parents would not find it so easy to plan for Sunday joy 
rides and excursions if they felt the sense of responsibility 
to uphold the hands of the faithful Sunday-school teacher 
who, they are assured, will be in his place and who will be 
expecting their boy or girl. Absences without adequate 
excuse might not be so frequent if the pupils knew that 
irregularity of attendance would be a matter of serious 
conference between the Sunday-school teacher and their 
parents. 

The heart of every parent is touched by any demonstra- 
tion of unselfish interest in the welfare of the children and 
the response invariably will be prompt and whole-hearted. 
We must cultivate their codperation. 


Special Days.—The observance of special days should 
be used as effectively as possible to attract new members 
to the Sunday school and to rally the delinquent members 
to renewed interest. Local newspaper publicity, the use of 
advertising cards, post-card invitations, developing a mes- 
senger service by enlisting the boys of the Sunday school 
to call from house to house with personal invitations, and 
various other publicity plans which the ingenuity and en- 
thusiasm of the superintendent and pastor may suggest, 
should be put into operation to attract the unreached 
people of the community to the Sunday school. 

Children’s Day, Rally Day, Christmas, and Easter are 
days for which special programs may be arranged, with 
musical numbers and dramatization, for which the school 
can make careful preparation and which may be made 
interesting to the entire community. On such occasions, 
however, the opportunity should be used to the fullest 

107 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


advantage, to enroll all who are not members of the school 
and, if possible, they should be personally solicited. © 


Persistent Work.—Persistent work throughout the year 
to win new recruits and to develop regularity of attendance 
will yield larger results in the long run than all the spas- 
modic efforts that may be made. If every Sunday-school 
pupil will be a ‘“‘booster”’ for the Sunday school, proud of 
the Sunday school and enthusiastic in recruiting others, 
the membership will grow steadily and permanently. If 
the Sunday school is made attractive and interesting to the 
pupils, and if the officers and teachers show a personal in- 
terest in the life of the pupils outside the narrow limits of | 
the Sunday-school session, the difficulty of securing regular 
attendance will disappear. Earnest, faithful, consecrated, 
and persistent effort, supported by a strong Sunday-school 
spirit cannot fail to produce the desired results. 


108 


CHAPTER VII 
LEADERSHIP TRAINING 


In view of all that has been said and written concerning 
the importance of proper preparation for the task of teach- 
ing religion to children and youth, it would seem to be a 
fruitless repetition of well-established and accepted prin- 
ciples to discuss reasons why prospective teachers for the 
Sunday school should pursue a special course of study 
before entering active service. But, strange as it may seem 
to some of the more progressive Sunday-school workers, 
the proportion of Sunday schools in which teacher-training 
classes are to be found is still comparatively small. 

Latest statistics of the various denominations show a 
very small percentage of the Sunday-school membership 
enrolled in teacher-training classes. At least four fifths of 
the Sunday schools are still without such classes. In spite 
of all the opportunities and advantages within the reach of 
the city schools, where the importance of teacher-training 
is urged in conventions, conferences, and other gatherings 
of Sunday-school workers, many of their superintendents 
will be found relying upon the unsatisfactory method of 
searching frantically about for teachers to fill vacancies or 
to take charge of new classes. In this respect many of the 
smaller schools have made better progress toward securing 
a trained leadership than the city schools. Indeed, some 
of the best teacher-training work is being done in so-called 


“small-town”’ schools. 
109 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Teachers Both Born and Made.—In his book, “‘Talks to 
Sunday School Teachers,’ Dr. Luther A. Weigle pointedly 
remarks: ‘‘We hear it said sometimes that teachers are 
born not made. This aphorism has about as much truth 
when affirmed of teachers as it has when affirmed of busi- 
ness men, physicians, ministers, or any other class of 
workers who have much to do with people and with human 
values. There are born business men, born doctors—yes, 
born engineers and born farmers—in much the same sense 
as there are born musicians, born poets,.born teachers. For 
each of these vocations calls for certain qualifications of 
capacity and temperament which are matters of original 
endowment. Yet in each case success depends, not simply 
on the indispensable original ability or aptitude, but upon 
training and opportunity. The work of the teacher is no 
exception to the rule. It would be a strange paradox if 
teachers, whose work is education, could not themselves 
be educated for that work. It is doubtless true that teach- 
ers are ‘born’; it does not follow that they are ‘not made.’ 

“Here and there, indeed, we do find some engaged in the 
work of teaching who imagine themselves to be teachers by 
the grace of God, born, not made, and excused by birth- 
right from some of the pains and cares which necessity lays 
on others. These good folk loftily sneer at ‘pedagogy’ and 
seem to believe it their duty to present their subject in 
as difficult and uninteresting a fashion as they can, in order 
that their pupils may gain more mental ‘discipline’ by 
conquering it. 

“But the world is going by these folk. . . . Teach-’* 
ing is no longer a job for old women and incompetent men, 
and it is becoming less and less a stop-gap or stepping- 
stone for youngsters who are looking forward to other 

110 | 


LEADERSHIP TRAINING 


things. It has become a profession, conscious of its aims, 
intelligent in its methods, and possessed of a growing tech- 
nique.” 


Only the Highest Standards Satisfactory.—We should 
be satisfied only with the highest standard of teaching 
values in the profoundly important task of giving to the 
rising generation its full heritage of Christian knowledge 
and training. But while we strive toward greater efficiency, 
we should be careful to avoid passing hasty judgment upon 
the work of tens of thousands of Sunday-school teachers 
who have labored consecratedly and faithfully in this field 
of Christian service, without such training in the principles 
of psychology and pedagogy as is now offered to those who 
are willing to enlist in this work. Despite their ignorance 
of technical definitions of psychology and pedagogy, they 
practised the principles of the best psychology, as they 
studied and learned to know their pupils, finding the most 
effective avenue of approach to the pupils’ hearts and 
winning young and old to the Christ whose love and good- 
ness they exemplified. While they had not the advantage 
of courses in the art of teaching, they were equipped with 
the power of the Holy Spirit; and by the strength derived 
from seasons of intercessory prayer, they were able to make 
the truth plain. Out of their own experience of victory 
over temptation and sin, and fellowship with Christ, they 
were able to apply the precious truths of the Word to the 
everyday problems of the developing young lives com- 
mitted to their care. They lacked the advantage and 
opportunity, which are offered to every teacher to-day, of 
special courses of training, schools of method, training con- 
ferences and institutes but they believed most earnestly 

111 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


that the work of the Sunday school should be improved and 
they codperated cheerfully in all plans to make it better. 


Trained Teachers Necessary.— With all the effort that is 
being expended by every denomination to elevate the 
standard of Sunday-school teaching, by persistent em- 
phasis upon the necessity of proper training, by the pre- 
paration and promotion of special courses for training 
classes, and by the training schools, there is really no 
excuse, except neglect or indifference, for the failure of any 
Sunday school to be without some means of training its 
own leaders. | 

In many cases, the excuse is offered that no competent 
person is available to teach a training class. This difficulty 
has been overcome in many schools by. selecting some one 
who is willing to conduct such a class, and who will study 
the course with the other members of the class, taking the 
examinations with them. After one group has completed 
the course, a teacher for the class should readily be found 
among their number, thus making the teacher-training 
class a permanent part of the Sunday-school organization. 
In some instances the pastor has undertaken the task of © 
teaching the first group, transferring work to one of the 
graduates when the course has been completed. 


Teacher-Training Practicable in the Smallest Schools. — 
Some have objected on the ground that the course is too 
difficult. This also has been met by the preparation of 
introductory courses of forty or sixty lessons which may 
be completed in a year or more. Pupils taking the intro- 
ductory course will usually want to go on with the full 
three-year standard course. 

Probably the greatest difficulty that superintendents 

112 


LEADERSHIP TRAINING 


have experienced in starting a teacher-training class has 
been to enlist members for it. They ask for volunteers 
but no one responds, and they abandon the project. The 
reluctance of older pupils to join such a class is usually due 
to the fact that they receive the impression that in joining 
a teacher-training class they are pledging themselves to 
become Sunday-school teachers, and they hesitate to make 
the decision to dedicate their lives to that form of Christian 
service. If itis clearly understood that no pledge of service 
is required in joining the class, the response would un- 
doubtedly be larger. If the decision to become a teacher is 
deferred until the pupil has completed the first or second 
year of the course, it will be found that such an interest has 
been developed, that most of those who join the class will 
be glad of an opportunity to teach when they have com- 
pleted their training. 


Introducing the Teacher-Training Course.—A plan that 
has been found very effective is to offer to the entire Inter- 
mediate Department, or to certain classes of the Inter- 
mediate group upon entering the Senior Department (fif- 
teen to eighteen years of age), the teacher-training course 
instead of the Departmental Graded Lessons for that age, 
or the Uniform Lessons. In this manner they will not be 
confronted with the necessity of making a choice with 
reference to joining a teacher-training class, but they will 
nevertheless receive the necessary training by their study 
of this course during their three years in the Senior grade. 
If this becomes the rule and practice of the Sunday school, 
no objection will be heard, the teachers of the Senior classes 
will soon become quite proficient as teachers of the training 
course, and the ideal of a Teacher-Training Department 

8 113 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


will be realized without any apparent change in the 
organization of the school. | 

The training class for prospective teachers enaale meet, 
of course, at the Sunday-school hour and conduct its work 
as one of the regular classes of the school. If possible, it 
should have a separate room equipped with maps and 
blackboard, but if this is impracticable a corner of the room 
enclosed by one or more folding screens may be set aside 
for this use, with a stand for maps and a wall blackboard of 
such size as the space will permit. 


Classes for Present Teachers.— Many of those who are 
already engaged in the work of Sunday-school teaching 
would welcome an opportunity to become more efficient by 
studying one of the teacher-training courses. To meet this 
need, a class may be formed under the leadership of the 
pastor, or one of the teachers, to meet during the week, or 
on Sunday after the Sunday school adjourns. In some 
cases, the workers’ conference devotes half an hour of each 
session to a training-course lesson. There are a number of 
such classes and in every case excellent work is being done. 

If it is not practicable to form a class, teachers may study 
the course individually, enrolling their names with the 
Teacher-Training Department at their denominational 
headquarters, and taking the examinations upon the com- 
pletion of each section, receiving the diploma when the 
entire three years’ work has been accomplished. 

TEXTBOOKS RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN A TEACHER- 

TRAINING DEPARTMENT 

1. “Teaching the Teacher’”’—Introductory Course, 60: 

lessons. 

2. ‘Thoroughly Furnished’’—Standard Course, three 

years; 120 lessons. 
114 


LEADERSHIP TRAINING 


First Year: 40 lessons. 
Part I. ‘The Pupil,’ Weigle. 
Part II. ‘‘The Teacher,” Weigle. 
Part III. ‘‘How to Teach the Life of Christ,’”’ Kerr. 
Part IV. “The Organization and Administration 
of the Church School,”’ Athearn. 


Second Year: 40 lessons. 

Part I. ‘Teaching Values of the Old Testament,” 
Moore, Mack. 

Part II. “Teaching Values of the New Testa- 
ment Other Than the Life of Christ,” 
Kerr. 

Part III. “Program of Christianity,’ Sanders. 

Part IV. ‘How to Train the Devotional Life,” 
Work. 


Third Year: Specialization Year. 
Each pupil to select a department and specialize in 
its study. 


Community Training Schools.—In all parts of the coun- 
try the plan of the community training school for workers 
is being vigorously promoted. Such schools offer elemen- 
tary and advanced courses in teacher-training, besides 
special methods courses for leaders and teachers in the 
different departments of the school. In small towns com- 
munity training schools may be formed, to meet one 
evening a week during the fall and winter, composed of 
those who are now teaching in the Sunday school and 
others who would like to prepare for such work. Such 
schools should be under the supervision of a governing 
board or committee, representing the different churches 


coéperating in the movement. Excellent work is being 
115 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


done through these schools in many places. Write to your 
denominational headquarters for information concerning 
the best plans for organizing and conducting a community 
training school, and for outlines of the courses of study. 


The Workers’ Conference.—The ‘“‘teachers’ meeting” 
of a generation ago has given place to the workers’ con- 
ference in present-day Sunday-school practice. This con- 
ference is composed of the officers and teachers of the 
Sunday school, the pastor, and the presidents of organized 
Bible classes. Meetings should be held monthly, and a 
program should be prepared for each meeting. The super- 
intendent of the Sunday school should be the presiding 
officer. (See Appendix C, page 144, for suggested constitu- 
tion for workers’ conference or Sunday-school association.) 

The purpose of this conference is to discuss the various 
problems of the Sunday school, and to plan for such im- 
provements as may be practicable. All changes in the 
organization of the school should be presented to the work- 
ers’ conference for consideration and should be formally 
authorized. In fact, all matters affecting the life and work 
of the school should be brought to the conference by the 
superintendent, for free discussion. A docket should be 
prepared, setting apart a period for a devotional service, 
followed by the presentation of matters which the super- 
intendent may desire the conference to consider, the dis- 
cussion of new plans, reports of the secretary and treasurer, 
the study of a training lesson or the review of a new book 
on some phase of Sunday-school work, and social fellow-’ 
ship. Occasionally, a speaker may be invited to present 
some aspect of Sunday-school work in which he or she has 
specialized. 

116 


LEADERSHIP TRAINING 


In some Sunday schools the workers’ conference meets 
for supper, following this program: | 


6.30-7.00: Supper 

7.00-7.10: Devotional service 

7.10-7.30: Business and reports 

7.30-8.30: Discussion and study 

8.30-9.15: Conferences of departmental workers or 
social period 


At the denominational headquarters, leaflets may be 
obtained containing detailed suggestions for the workers’ 
conference. 

Such an organization as the workers’ conference is essen- 
tial to the proper conduct of the Sunday school, and to the 
development of the spirit of unity and codperation among 
the workers. Such an important and sacred task as the 
Sunday school represents, so far-reaching in its influence 
upon the future, demands codéperative effort and serious 
consideration of all matters pertaining to its interests. 


The Council of Religious Education.—For the further 
development of codperative effort, and to promote the 
unity of all educational work of the Church, not only in the 
Sunday school, but in all the organizations of the Church 
which are working among the children and youth, a council 
of religious education should be organized. The members 
of this council should be the pastor, the superintendent of 
the Sunday school, the departmental superintendents, the 
president, or other representative, of each society or or- 
ganization, such as Senior Christian Endeavor, Junior 
Christian Endeavor, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, mis- 
sionary societies, the principal of the Daily Vacation Bible 
School, the principal of the week-day church school (if such 

117 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


organizations are being maintained). Detailed informa- 
tion concerning the council of religious education with sug- 
gested adaptations of the plan to meet varying conditions, 
may be obtained freely, upon application to the denomina- 
tional headquarters. (Write for Bulletin No. 2.) 


An Annual Institute of Religious Education.—One of the 
most effective means of developing the interest of the entire 
church in the work of the Sunday school and of the other 
organizations that are teaching and training the rising 
generation, is to hold an annual institute of religious educa- 
tion. The program of this institute should include all the 
work that is being done, with exhibits of pupils’ work in the 
Sunday school, Daily Vacation Bible School, and other 
organizations. It should continue for at least two after- 
noons and evenings, with supper conferences, meetings for 
the representatives of different age groups, and inspira- 
tional addresses. 


Interdenominational Codperation. — Every Sunday school 
should take a lively interest in the district, township, 
county, and state Sunday-school council of religious educa- 
tion (formerly the county and state Sunday-school associa- 
tions). There is a decided advantage to every Sunday 
school in the interdenominational fellowship which the 
institutes and conventions offer, besides the instruction and 
inspiration received. Each Sunday school should bear its 
proportionate share of the expenses of this work, contrib- 
uting in the manner prescribed by the district, township, 
county, or state organization. Every Sunday school 
should have one or more representatives at the annual 
conventions. 


118 


CHAPTER VIII 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND 
OFFERINGS 


The possibilities of missionary instruction in the Sunday 
school have never really been tested. Indeed, compara- 
tively little has been done to seize the greatest opportunity 
that could be presented for the promotion of intelligent in- 
terest In and support of the missionary enterprise. When 
we consider that three fourths of the Church membership, 
to whom we look to provide the means for the support of 
the various missionary boards and agencies, are recruited 
from the ranks of Sunday-school pupils, it becomes imme- 
diately apparent that if our churches could do nothing 
more in the direction of missionary education than to teach 
and train the multitude of children and youth of the 
present generation who are enrolled in our Sunday schools, 
the missionary cause in the future would not be lacking 
either in means or in workers. 

It has been said that the business of the Sunday school is 
to study the Bible, and through the knowledge of the Word 
to lead souls to know God and to accept his Son, Jesus 
Christ, as Saviour. But to be a follower of Jesus involves 
serious obligations and responsibilities. It is remarkable 
how little interest we have taken in the training of the 
young people of our Sunday schools in the duties and 
privileges of Church membership after they have joined 
the Church. They should be taught that uniting with the 
Church is merely an enlistment in the great enterprise to 

119 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


which all Christians are definitely committed, namely, to 
make Christ’s gospel known to all mankind and to bring 
all people under his leadership. As earnest and faithful 
workers with Christ, they must have an understanding of 
the character of the campaign in which his followers are 
engaged to conquer sin and to exalt Christ. Lessons of 
stewardship, consecration, and personal service, together 
with a knowledge of the field and its needs, are necessary 
before the young people can be expected to meet fully their 
obligations as Christians. 


The Missionary Application of the Lesson.—In recogni- 
tion of these facts, lesson writers are more particular and 
more diligent than ever before in bringing out the mis- 
sionary application of the Bible lesson, wherever possible, 
in both the Graded and Uniform series. It is surprising to 
note the number of lessons that lend themselves to mis- 
sionary treatment, especially if the teacher has the real 
spirit of missions. There are scores of ways which the 
ingenuity of the teacher will suggest by which to interest 
the members of the class in the missionary activities of our 
own denomination, or of the evangelical Churches as a 
whole. The occasional reading of a missionary book, by 
the teacher who is interested in the progress of missions, 
will provide a storehouse of illustrative material for use in 
class study. Unfortunately, not many of our Sunday- 
school teachers are familiar with current missionary litera- 
ture. Hundreds of books of missionary stories are of 
thrilling interest and would be read eagerly by the boys and 
girls in the Sunday school if they were tactfully and 
attractively recommended and placed within the young 
people’s reach. 

120 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND OFFERINGS 


Creating a Missionary Spirit.—The teaching of missions 
in many Sunday schools fails in effectiveness because in 
many instances it goes no further than the description of 
peculiar manners and customs of strange peoples or a very 
superficial attempt to teach geography. Such information, 
while interesting and frequently entertaining, can hardly 
be relied upon to establish attitudes that will lead our 
young people to active service, or even to a consecration of 
their possessions to the missionary cause. Special mis- 
sionary programs, if well prepared and intelligently carried 
out, may be made very helpful in developing the missionary 
spirit, but general presentations can never be depended 
upon to accomplish the results that are possible of attain- 
ment by the teacher whose own heart has been stirred 
by the missionary impulse, and. who longs to bring each 
pupil into the same fellowship of service with Christ. 

“Tn the Sunday-schools of to-day there are youths, ‘nu- 
merous and fresh as the morning dew,’” writes William A. 
Brown, in “The Why and How of Missions in the Sunday 
School,” “who are eager to go as heralds of the cross of 
Christ. Many of them now walk with leaden feet on 
spiritless errands, whereas they would gladly fly with 
winged feet to fulfill the Great Commission of their Lord. 
They do not lack devotion: they are as devoted as the best. 
They lack knowledge—the definite knowledge of the world 
and its needs. The first foreign missionaries—‘ being sent 
forth by the Holy Spirit’— sailed to Cyprus—for Barna- 
bas . . . was aman of Cyprus, and so knew the needs 
of the people of his island home. The evangelization of 
Europe began with the call to Paul from one man in 
Macedonia, who bade him to come over and help. The 


sight of the fair-featured among the slaves in Rome, and 
121 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


the inquiry as to who they were and whence they came, led 
to the sending of the first missionaries to England. . 
As it was in the beginning of the foreign missionary enter- 
prise, and is now, so it ever shall be: the missionary de- 
partures of the evangels of the Christ have always come 
from the visioned call of some known need.” | 


How to Begin. —Begin by enlisting the codperation of the 
officers and teachers. Get them to realize the importance 
of training the boys and girls in a knowledge of the great 
missionary enterprises which the Church of Christ is en- 
gaged in promoting. Show them how necessary it is that 
the pupils should contribute intelligently, and as an ex- 
pression of vital interest, rather than ane from a sense 
of duty or habit. 

The appointment of a competent Missionary Committee 
is essential. Select officers, teachers, or adult pupils who 
have shown an interest in missions and require a report at 
every meeting of your Sunday-school teachers’ association 
or workers’ conference. It may be necessary to urge them 
a little at first until they realize the importance of their 
work; but when they get into correspondence with the 
headquarters of the missionary boards, either through the 
chairman or through a secretary appointed for that pur- 
pose, they will furnish the school with an amount of mis- 
sionary information that will develop interest far beyond 
expectation. This committee should codperate with the 
Church Missionary Committee and with the various mis- 
sionary organizations in the local church, in the prepara-. 
tion of suitable plans and programs. 


The Missionary Committee.—The Sunday-school Mis- 


sionary Committee should assign certain definite responsi- 
122 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND OFFERINGS 


bilities to its members, one person being responsible for the 
making of maps, posters, and charts, and another having 
charge of the missionary bulletin board. Photographs 
from various missionary magazines may be used with good 
effect. By corresponding with missionaries in the home 
and foreign fields, other special items of missionary infor- 
mation may be obtained, which may be displayed in large 
letters. Missionaries are glad to furnish photographs 
occasionally, illustrating their work and showing the type 
of people among whom they are laboring. A wealth of 
material is available for the bulletin board, if the one to 
whom this responsibility is assigned will take the task 
seriously and become enthusiastic about it. Posters also 
have been found effective. 

Still another member of the committee should be re- 
sponsible for securing good missionary books to be added 
to the Sunday-school library. The attention of the pupils 
should be directed to these books at frequent intervals. 
Often the reading of a striking paragraph or portion of a 
chapter in a missionary story will create the desire on the 
part of the pupils to read the entire book. The life stories 
of great missionaries are full of thrilling adventure and 
tales of heroic deeds. Our children and young people 
should be familiar with these stories. It would be difficult 
to find a boy who will not be thrilled to the depths of his 
being as he reads the stories of Carey, Moffatt, John G. 
Paton, or David Livingstone, who gave his life in willing 
sacrifice for the missionary cause. It is impossible to read 
the record of the closing days of Livingstone’s life, the story 
of his death upon his knees in the attitude of prayer, and 
the long perilous journey of hundreds of miles over which 
his body was carried by two faithful Africans, without 

123 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


vivid impressions of the heroism of pate who ay forth to do 
Christ’s service. ; 

The chairman of the Missionary Committee in confer- 
ence with the other members of the committee and the 
superintendent, should be responsible for the preparation 
of special missionary programs for platform presentation. 


When?—Missionary instruction should be given from 
the platform at frequent intervals, besides the direct mis- 
sionary application of the lessons in class study whenever 
and however the opportunity may occur. 

The best time for missionary instruction from the plat- 
form is in the opening or worship period. This plan en-— 
ables the teachers to develop the subject still further in 
class discussion of the lesson for the day. In every session 
of the school, reference should be made in some way to the 
missionary cause. A news item from the field, clipped from 
a missionary magazine or leaflet, a missionary prayer or 
hymn, an incident describing a missionary’s experience, or 
the reading of a missionary letter may be the means of de- 
veloping a deeper and more intelligent interest in the causes 
which appeal to us for support. Once a month it would be 
well to devote ten or fifteen minutes to the presentation of 
a special missionary program, exercise, or tableau. This 
may be done by a rearrangement of the regular program of 
the worship period in such a way that it will not be neces- 
sary to take any time from the class study period. 


Missionary Material in the Lesson Courses.—Full pro-' 
vision is made in the Departmental Graded Lessons for 
missionary instruction. Many of the lessons in the course 
for each grade lend themselves very readily to missionary 

124 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND OFFERINGS 


treatment, and the teacher who is informed, as every fol- 
lower of Christ should be, concerning the progress of the 
great missionary enterprises of Christendom, will experi- 
ence a sense of joy and satisfaction in directing the minds 
of the pupils to the wonders of God’s providence in the on- 
ward march of the gospel as it penetrates the darkest and 
remotest corners of the world. The Uniform Lesson 
periodicals for teachers contain special material for their 
use in the form of missionary illustrations or of stories for 
at least one lesson in each month. 


Other Material.—Copies of missionary letters may be 
obtained without expense at the headquarters of the 
denominational missionary boards. These letters may be 
read from the platform or passed around among the classes. 
Curios and various other objects illustrating the manners 
and customs of people among whom missionaries are work- 
ing never fail to excite interest and open the way for the 
missionary appeal. Stereopticon slides are available in 
many different sets, each accompanied by a lecture, at the 
denominational board headquarters. These slides are lent 
at a nominal rental fee, plus the parcel-post charges. 

Occasionally dramatic presentations and pageants may 
be introduced with appropriate costumes. Suitable mate- 
rial has been prepared and adapted to both large and small 
Sunday schools for such programs, and may be obtained 
upon application to the missionary boards, at the cost of a 
few cents. 

Whenever it is possible to secure a returned missionary 
to speak to the school, the opportunity should be em- 
braced. The personal contacts thus established will have 
a helpful influence in developing the missionary spirit and 

125 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


in leading pupils to a decision to Soler their lives to 
missionary endeavor. 


Praying for Missions.—Jesus put prayer and missions 
together when he taught us to say, ‘‘Thy kingdom come.” 
When William Carey volunteered to go to India, he said to 
his friends who were interested in the needs of that vast 
field, “‘I will go, but remember that you must hold the 
ropes.’ The heaviest strand in the rope that the people at 
home are holding is prayer. | 

If we knew how much the missionaries who have gone 
out into the hard places to proclaim the gospel depend upon 
the prayers of those ‘‘back home,” we would never forget. 
them, but we would mention them by name in our inter- 
cessions. The “‘ Year Book of Prayer for Missions”’ will be 
found a very useful guide in praying for the missionaries 
and missions. “Pray ye,’’ said Jesus, as he looked out in 
compassionate longing upon the multitudes, struggling and 
groping in darkness. The missionary enterprise in America 
was born in a prayer meeting of five students of Williams 
College who were storm-bound, under a haystack. The 
Student Volunteer Movement, the Laymen’s Missionary 
Movement, student missionary campaigns, and all the 
other influences that have given an impetus to the mission- 
ary cause have grown out of the earnest and faithful inter- 
cession of spirit-filled individuals who were zealous for the 
extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Prayer is the golden link 
which binds the missionary on the field to the church at 
the home base, and gives him added power in service. 


Missionary Giving.— Adopt a plan of systematic giving 
to the various missionary causes of the Church. Use the 
duplex envelope for class or individual offerings, thus giving 

126 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND OFFERINGS 


the pupils an opportunity to contribute something every 
week in addition to their regular offerings, or some other 
plan by which the habit of giving systematically to missions 
may be cultivated. Contributions obtained in this man- 
ner should be apportioned, after consultation with the 
church session, among the various boards. 

Sunday-school pupils should be encouraged to contrib- 
ute out of their own money, earned or given to them as an 
allowance for their personal needs. The giving of money 
which is handed to the children by the parents “for the 
Sunday-school collection” is meaningless to the child, and 
the development of the ideals of responsibility and steward- 
ship can make no progress under such improper training. 
It should be made perfectly clear to the children that they 
are asked to give out of their own possessions, in order that 
they may feel that they are sharing the gifts and blessings 
which God has bestowed upon them with those who have 
not been similarly favored. One of the most important 
factors in the training of every child is to teach him to 
share his possessions generously with others. These lessons 
of gratitude and unselfishness may be taught from the 
earliest years of the child’s life in relation to his playmates, 
and the application of the principle may readily be broad- 
ened to include all of God’s creatures who may be in need 
of any of the things which he possesses. 

The principles of stewardship should be emphasized in 
the teaching of missions in the Sunday school. We cannot 
expect to develop a praying, giving, and working Church in 
the future unless the rising generation is thoroughly 
trained in the habit of setting aside a definite portion of 
their possessions, systematically and with willing sacrifice, 
for Christ’s sake. 

127 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


Special Missionary Days.—Whatever plan may be 
adopted for systematic contributing, the special missionary 
days recommended by the denomination should be faith- 
fully observed, and special offerings taken for the particular 
causes whose needs are being presented, in addition to 
the weekly envelope offerings. No mechanical plan of sys- 
tematic giving should displace the taking of special offer- 
ings by the Sunday schools on special days for which special 
missionary programs are provided. These days have been 
recognized and set apart by the governing bodies of the 
Church, and the Sunday schools have been urged year by 
year to observe them. Children’s Day, for example, has 
become an institution in our Church life. It is the one 
day in the year when we bring the Church and Sunday 
school together, impressing upon the Church its responsi- 
bility for the Christian education of the youth, and placing 
the Sunday school in its proper relation as an integral part 
of the Church. For more than thirty-five years Presby- 
terian Sunday schools have been contributing their Chil- | 
dren’s Day offerings to the work of Sunday-school missions. 
The appropriateness of the appeal, coming as it does on an 
occasion when they are rejoicing in the Sunday school and 
the influence which it is bringing to bear upon the shaping 
of Christian character among the boys and girls of our 
land, has made the Sunday-school pupils peculiarly sym- 
pathetic toward it and they have contributed with increas- 
ing generosity toward its support. 

Not only is it a correct educational principle that the 
Sunday-school interest and sentiment which is thus devel- 
oped should be given an opportunity for expression in the 
form of a gift to help promote the Sunday-school cause, but 
the very thought that these gifts are making it possible for 

128 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND OFFERINGS 


the boys and girls who are living in neglected parts of 
America to have the Bible and the Sunday school taken to 
them also, develops a missionary vision and interest which 
may bear rich fruitage years hence. The same principle 
applies to other special-day missionary appeals, such as 
Christmas, Easter, Rally Day, Lincoln’s_ Birthday, 
Thanksgiving, and so on. We should be careful not to 
make the giving, especially in the Sunday school, merely 
perfunctory. The appeal should be made at proper seasons, 
and an opportunity given to participate in the work. 

Let us remember, therefore, that the introduction of 
more efficient methods of systematic weekly giving in the 
Church and Sunday school was never intended to displace 
the contributions which the Sunday schools have been 
accustomed to give on special days. Nothing could com- 
pensate for the loss which would be sustained, not only to 
the missionary cause, but also to the Sunday-school pupils 
themselves, if this opportunity to show their interest in 
others and to express their appreciation of their own Chris- 
tian privileges were removed. 

Special programs are prepared by the various missionary 
boards for each of these days and they are furnished free of 
charge in such quantities as may be required, together with 
missionary information for use in instructing the pupils 
regarding the purpose to which the special offering is 
applied. 


Special Objects.—A most effective method of promoting 
the missionary spirit among the Sunday-school pupils is to 
adopt some special object in connection with the various 
denominational missionary enterprises which will enable 


the pupils to visualize the needs and the character of the 
9 129 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


work in different fields. Shares may be taken in the sup- 
port of missionaries at home and abroad; a mission Sunday 
school may be adopted, traveling outfit for a missionary 
may be provided; a mission Sunday school may be 
equipped with a library or with Bibles; hospital or dispen- 
sary equipment may be bought for a medical missionary 
abroad; scholarships may be provided for Negro boys and 
girls, for the children of the southern mountains, for 
Mexican and Indian children. There are scores of ways 
by which Sunday schools may be brought into direct con- 
tact with the actual work on the field, accepting a definite 
responsibility for some special phase of it. The missionary 
boards are always prepared to suggest definite objects for 
Sunday-school support. In making this plan effective, 
much depends upon the faithfulness of the Sunday-school 
correspondent (usually the chairman of the Missionary 
Committee) in keeping open the channels of information 
from the field and in furnishing the school with fresh 
information. 

It is hardly fair to expect the missionary to continue to 
write letters to Sunday schools from which he receives no 
acknowledgment of his letters or personal word of encour- 
agement. On the other hand, a frequent letter to the mis- 
sionary relating interesting facts about the Sunday school 
and its work, and assuring him of the prayers and interest 
of the people at home, will bring a response that will 
develop a close personal relationship besides much valuable 
information. 


Missionary Recruits.—Some one has well said that 
“giving cannot be made a substitute for going.” Streams 
of gold poured from the pockets of Church members cannot 

130 


MISSIONARY INSTRUCTION AND OFFERINGS 


silence the call, “Go ye,’ ’ which should sound unceasingly 
in the ears of every Christian. The call must be answered 
either by the offering of our lives in sacrificial full-time ser- 
vice or by the service of prayer, promotion of missionary 
interest, or in whatever manner the Holy Spirit may direct 
us to serve. Giving is not a substitute for service, but it 
must be added to service. The great apostle commended 
the missionary spirit of the Macedonian converts because 
“first they gave their own selves.” 

It is obvious that everyone is not qualified either by 
temperament or by mental and physical capability to go 
forth as a missionary. Nevertheless, the hope should con- 
stantly be expressed, and prayer fervently offered, that the 
Holy Spirit may set apart those whom he would choose for 
missionary service. The missionary call should he held 
before the youth as the highest honor that God can bestow, 
and to be chosen as his ambassador should be regarded as 
a privilege in which one should rejoice, and for which 
sacrifices should cheerfully be made. James Chalmers 
declared that he was led to dedicate his life to missionary 
endeavor, when, as a lad in the Sunday school, the earnest 
hope was expressed that some day one of the pupils of that 
school might give his life to the service of taking the gospel 
to the heathen. ‘‘The answer of my heart,’ he said, “‘ was, 
‘God helping me, I will.’ ’’ God had called him, his heart 
responded, and the whole course of his future life was 
directed toward his preparation for missionary service. 

The Sunday school must furnish the recruits to fill up the 
ranks of the missionary forces and to furnish reénforce- 
ments, but we cannot expect the youth in our Sunday 
schools to enlist in a cause which they do not understand 
and in which the needs, the opportunities, and the glory of 

131 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


service have never been adequately presented. What a 
marvelous acceleration would be experienced by every 
phase of missionary endeavor if every Sunday school were 
filled with the missionary spirit, giving missionary educa- 
tion the prominent place to which it is entitled! 


132 


CHAPTER IX 
OUR PUPILS FOR CHRIST 


In all our consideration of the various plans of organiza- 
tion and grading and the methods of conducting the work 
of the Sunday school, we need to remind ourselves re- 
peatedly of the supreme purpose of our task. We have 
a goal—a very definite goal—but we are in danger of losing 
sight of it in our zeal for efficiency. We must guard against 
the tendency to become too deeply concerned with the 
task of keeping Sunday-school machinery operating effi- 
ciently and depending largely upon mechanical processes. 


The Evangelistic Emphasis.—Whatever may be the 
method under which we operate, it is fundamentally true 
that the Sunday school is a great spiritual enterprise. A 
movement whose membership in America alone is nearly 
twenty million individuals, meeting regularly, in groups 
large and small, under widely varying conditions, but with 
one common textbook, the Bible, could not maintain itself 
without a deep spiritual purpose, clearly defined and un- 
derstood. It is frequently stated that the aim of the Sun- 
day school is to develop Christian character; but upon 
what foundation is Christian character to rest? It is 
mockery to teach the rising generation to be kind, honest, 
virtuous, and to practice the principles of brotherhood, 
without directing them to the great Source of all goodness 
and purity and uniting them to Christ, whose indwelling 
presence will transform their natures and by the power of 

133 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


whose Spirit they shall be enabled to > prevail against the 
onslaughts of evil. 


Bringing Pupils to a Decision.—Any Sunday school, no 
matter how perfect its organization, is a failure if its pupils 
receive no impulse to make an open declaration of their 
faith in Christ, accepting him as their only hope of salva- 
tion, giving themselves to him in loyal service, and glorify- 
ing him in their daily lives. 

That the Sunday school is not measuring up to its re- 
sponsibility in evangelistic emphasis is apparent from the 
, fact that out of every five Sunday-school pupils only two 
' are led to accept Christ and unite with the Church, while 
' three pass out beyond the influence of Sunday-school teach- 
ing into lives of indifference and neglect. 


The Sunday School’s Opportunity.—It is a well-attested 
fact that the majority of conversions take place in youth. 
The age of conversion has gradually moved backward until 
we can say that at least five sixths of those who are re- 
ceived into our Churches upon profession of their faith are — 
under twenty years of age. This is due largely to the work 
of the Sunday school, and to the wise and tactful codpera- 
tion of pastors and teachers in bringing the boys and girls 
of the adolescent age into a living faith in Christ as their 
Saviour and Friend. No form of evangelism offers greater 
opportunities or greater rewards than that of awakening 
within the souls of eager boys and girls a consciousness of 
the love of God. Under proper guidance, it is not difficult 
to bring them to the point of accepting Christ as their 
Saviour and surrendering their lives to him, and then to 
teach them to rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to 

134 


OUR PUPILS FOR CHRIST 


guide their footsteps in paths that will lead them to the 
Father’s house. 


The Teacher’s Example.—There can be no set rule for 
the work of soul-winning. The character and the per- 
sonality of the teacher, as well as the quality and method of 
the teaching, are important factors, but above all the 
guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit must constantly 
be sought and recognized. It is undoubtedly true that the 
success or failure of any Sunday school in bringing the 
pupils into Church fellowship largely depends, so far as 
human instrumentalities are concerned, on the Sunday- 
school teachers. Their intimate and confidential approach, 
their knowledge of the individual dispositions and tem- 
peraments, and their sympathetic consideration of the en- 
vironment of their pupils, afford opportunities which are 
given to no other person for reaching their hearts, winning 
their love and confidence, and leading them into a joyful 
acceptance of Christ. Unless the teacher cultivates a 
spirit of comradeship with the pupils through these chan- 
nels, little can be expected in gaining the goal toward which 
all our work should be directed. 


Personal Work.—Much personal work must be done. 
Constant nagging about “joining the Church” will never 
appeal to the boys and girls in a way that will bring a satis- 
factory response. We should rather seek to awaken within 
their hearts a consciousness of God, and help them to 
realize the real presence of Christ in the heart, as the 
essential factors in the consecration of life to him. The 
teacher who deals with young people of the normal type, 
coming from Christian homes and surrounded by influ- 
ences that are pure and holy, will find that they are very 

135 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


near to God and that they are ready to heed his call and to 
recognize his claim upon their lives. | 

In this connection, Professor Fiske, in speaking of the 
boy’s religion, bids us remember: “ Notable is the boy’s 
inherent faith in God and simple trust in God; his clear 
acceptance of immortality as an axiom; his faith in the 
goodness of God and his instinctive dependence upon it; 
his intuitive knowledge that God is a loving, personal 
Spirit, the causal Agentand Source of life, at the heart of 
things; and also his honest conscientiousness. These are 
among the fundamental religious instincts of the human 
race. In their purest, simplest form the child possesses — 
them.” 

Other types must be treated in a different manner, and 
it is the supreme task of the teacher to find the avenue of 
approach through which the strongest appeal can be made, 
not with wordy arguments, but with the wise and intelli- 
gent use of the Word, and with reliance upon the aid of the 
Holy Spirit. 


Decision Days.—Decision days are useful for the in- 
fluence which the decision of one pupil may have on 
another, but decision should not be considered a public 
profession. If properly followed up, decision day services 
are frequently found to be effective, but careful and tactful 
personal work should be done. The best results are ob- 
tained by a wise selective process by which, under the 
advice of the teacher, the pupils who have expressed a 
desire to follow Jesus may be gathered into a pastor’s com- 
municant class, where they may be instructed with refer- 
ence to the Christian life and the meaning of Church 


membership. 
136 


OUR PUPILS FOR CHRIST 


The ideal method is to have such a class meeting regu- 
larly for several weeks prior to every communion service, 
into which the teachers will bring those who have been led 
to express a desire to become affiliated with the Church, 
placing them under the pastor’s guidance in preparation for 
taking that important step with full knowledge of all that it 
involves. The silent influence of the knowledge that their 
companions are attending such a class will be a strong 
attraction to those who are hesitating. 


Codperation with the Pastor.—In these efforts there 
should be the closest codperation between the teacher and 
the pastor. The teacher should seek the advice and coun- 
sel, as well as the prayers, of the pastor in behalf of pupils 
who hesitate to come to a decision. It may be helpful 
occasionally to have the pastor sit with the class and 
frankly discuss the subject with the pupils. Nothing in all 
the work of the pastor is more encouraging and inspiring 
than, at each communion season, to see his teachers bring- | 
ing their pupils to him for a public profession of faith in | 
uniting with the Church. This should likewise be the 
teacher’s highest reward. 

It should be the aim of every Sunday school to have 
every member in the grades above the Junior Department 
a member of the Church, and teachers of pupils above 
twelve years of age should labor with unremitting energy 
toward this end. This is the age when the pupils are more 
in danger of dropping away from the Sunday school than 
at any other time. Thousands could be saved to the 
Church and the Sunday school if all the pupils, upon pro- 
motion from the Junior Department, should look forward 
to an acceptance of Christ and joining the Church as the 

137 


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN TOWN AND COUNTRY 


natural step which they are expected to take as members of 
the Intermediate and Senior Departments. 


Training for Christian Living.— Again, we should remem- 
ber that this is the age when the pupils should receive their 
training for Christian living and service. The Graded 
Lesson courses for Intermediate and Senior pupils are pre- 
pared with this purpose in view. It is obvious, therefore, 
that the teacher labors under a great disadvantage in 
teaching these important lessons if the pupils have not 
definitely committed themselves as followers of Christ. 

It has been said that “if the pastor does not look after 
the Sunday school of to-day, there will be no church of 
to-morrow; and if the Sunday-school superintendent does 
not look after the church to-day, there will be no Sunday 
school to-morrow. The church creates the Sunday school 
and the Sunday school creates the church.” 

Let us therefore keep this goal clearly before us. Let 
us regard every new method and plan as of any value only 
as it contributes more efficiently toward the accomplish- 
ment of our great purpose to bring in the Kingdom of our — 
Lord by enlisting the rising generation of boys and girls 
as his earnest and loyal followers. 

Two pictures hung upon the walls of Mr. Moody’s din- 
ing room. One was a picture of his first Sunday-school 
class in Chicago, a group of ill-dressed, unkempt waifs from 
the street. Under this picture was the inscription: ‘‘ Does 
It Pay?” The other picture was of the same group when 
grown to manhood. But it was a group of well-dressed, 
prosperous, and contented Christian gentlemen. Under 
this picture was the inscription: “It Does Pay.”’ 

It is not the “unkempt waifs” alone, but the boys and 

138 


OUR PUPILS FOR CHRIST 


girls of so-called ‘Christian homes,” the children of the 
household of faith, whose eternal destiny depends largely 
upon the work of the Sunday-school teacher. If Christian 
parents are neglecting their duty in training their children 
for Christ, the task of the Sunday-school teacher is all the 
more difficult. However, the codperation of the parents 
should be cultivated by the teacher, and in most cases they 
will respond in an appreciative manner. 

The Kingdom of God will come only when Christ’s fol- 
lowers fully realize that their greatest opportunity lies in 
the Christian nurture of the rising generation. We should 
cease to complain about our losses and expend our energies 
upon the conservation of the boundless potentialities of the 
childhood of to-day. The Sunday school has proved its 
adaptation to this task. With the practical methods now 
available, and with the codperation of the other agencies 
for Christian instruction and training which are of more 
recent origin, we may confidently expect still greater re- 
sults from its work in the years that are before us. 


139 





APPENDIX A 


BULLETIN SERIES 


The series of educational pamphlets issued by the Department of 
Home and Church of the Board of Christian Education of the 
Presbyterian Church in the U. 8. A. should be obtained by every 
pastor and Sunday-school superintendent. Single copies will be 
mailed free of charge upon application to the Department above 
mentioned, 423 Witherspoon Building, Philadelphia, Pa. 


No. 


. No. 
No. 


No. 
‘No. 


No. 


No. 
No. 
No. 
No. 


No. 
No. 
No. 


1 


2 
3. “Christian Education in the Family.” (For the Use of 


“Religious Education for the Presbyterian Church in the 
U.S. A.” 
“The Church Council of Religious Education.” 


Parents in the Religious Education of the Younger 
Children, Birth to Eight Years.) 


. “Two Types of Week-Day Church Schools.” 
. “Adapting the Church Building for the Purposes of 


Religious Education.” 

“Christian Education in the Family.”’ (For the Use of 
Parents in the Christian Education of the Older Chil- 
dren, Nine to Seventeen Years.) 


. “Correlating the Young People’s Work of the Church.” 

. “A Three Hour a Week School for the Individual Church.” 
. “A Boys’ Work Program for the Individual Church.” 

. “A Girls’ Work Program for the Individual Church.”’ 


(To be issued later.) 


. “A Church Program for Promoting Family Religion.” 


“Daily Vacation Bible School.” 


. “Correlating the Junior Work of the Church.” 


141 


APPENDIX B 
INSTALLATION SERVICE 


Pastor: ‘Son, go work to-day in the vineyard.” | 
ScHoo.: ‘My Father worketh even until now, and I work.” 


Pastor: “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, 
which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; 
and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” 


ScHoou: ‘Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man 
be found faithful.” 


SUPERINTENDENT: ‘‘Whosoever would become great among you shall 
be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you 
shall be your servant: even as the Son of Man came not. 
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a 
ransom for many.” 


ScHoou: ‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord 
hath set over his household, to give them their food in due 
season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Jord when he 
cometh shall find so doing.” 


Sinerna: ‘ Work, for the night is coming,” first stanza. (Play chord 
only.) 

Pastor: The following persons, having been duly elected and ap- 
pointed officers in this Sunday school for the year that is 
before us, will, as their names and offices are read, present 
themselves before the desk for installation. 

(Here the pastor, or some one appointed, shall read the 
names of the new officers, with the office to which each person 
has been elected or appointed.) 

BRIEF PRAYER 

Pastor: Beloved fellow workers in the Lord, do you now accept the 
offices in this Sunday school to which you have each been 
chosen? 

(The officers shall answer, ‘‘I do.’’) 

Pastor: Relying on God’s help, will you do your utmost to discharge 
the trust which this church and your fellow servants of Christ 
in this Sunday school have thus placed in your keeping? 

Answer: I will. 


142 


APPENDIX 


Pastor: Will you endeavor to be regular in attendance upon all 
appointments, diligent in the performance of every duty, 
loyal in service to them that are over you in the Lord, kindly 
and considerate in every relationship, and fit examples of 
Christian conduct before our children and youth? 

ANSWER: I will. 


ScHoot: “Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a 
workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” 


Tue Orricers Extect: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to 


account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is 
from God.” 


Sinaina: “Work, for the night is coming,’ second stanza. 


Pastor: The teachers in this Sunday school for the coming year will 
rise. 


Scoot: “And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; 
and gave the sense, so that they understood the reading.” 


Pastor: ‘And the things which thou hast heard from me among 
many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who 
shall be able to teach others also.” 


Scnoou: ‘And they that are wise [or, the teachers] shall shine as the - 
brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to 
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” 


Pastor: Do you accept the classes to which you have been appointed 
for the coming year? 


Tracers: I do. 
Pastor: Will you be regular, diligent, studious, prayerful, and 
_ watchful for souls, as God shall strengthen you? 

Answer: I will. 

Pastor: Will you give faithful and loyal support to this your super- 
intendent? to these officers in their several positions, and to the 
church whose children are intrusted to your teaching? 

Answer: I will. 

Scuoot: ‘Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the 
Lord, that thou fulfil it.’’ 

Pastor: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that 
worketh in us, unto him be the glory in the church and in 
Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.” 


143 


APPENDIX C 


SUGGESTED CONSTITUTION FOR A WORKERS’ CON- 
FERENCE OR SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION 


Where it is deemed advisable to adopt a formal plan of organiza- 
tion for the monthly workers’ conference (or Sunday-school associa- 
tion as it is frequently called), the following may be used as a basis, 
with such changes or additions as may be found necessary to meet the 
local conditions: 


PREAMBLE 


We, the officers and teachers of the 
Bundy school, recognize the Church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ as the divinely ordained preacher and teacher of the Word. 
We also recognize the Sunday school as the Church studying and 
teaching the Bible, and therefore subject to the authority of pastor 
and session. We also recognize our obligation to carry on this work 
in an orderly and effective manner; therefore we adopt the following 
as the constitution of this workers’ conference (or association) and 
after it has been approved by the session it shall become binding upon _ 
all its members: 


CONSTITUTION 
Article I 
NAME 


The name of this organization shall be ‘‘The Workers’ Conference”’ 
(or The Sunday School Association) of ——-——-—— 
Church which shall be composed of the pastor and the duly elected 
officers and teachers of the Sunday school. 


Article II 
OFFICERS 


The officers of this workers’ conference (or association) shall be the 
pastor, a superintendent or director of religious education, the super- 
intendent (who shall be a member of this church), one or more 
associate superintendents, the departmental superintendents, the 
secretary, the treasurer, the librarian, and the chorister, whe shall be 
elected annually. 


144 


APPENDIX 


Article III 
DuTIES OF OFFICERS 


1. It shall be the duty of the superintendent to preside at all the 
meetings of the school and of this conference (or association). He 
shall be responsible for the conduct and management of the school, 
under the rules of this conference (or association). 

2. The associate superintendents shall perform all the duties of 
the superintendent in his absence. 

3. It shall be the duty of the superintendent (or director) of reli- 
gious education to supervise the educational work of the Sunday 
school. All matters pertaining to the teaching and curriculum should 
be referred to this officer for such recommendations as it may be 
found desirable to make to the conference (or association). 

4. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the minutes of this 
conference (or association), conduct the correspondence, and issue all 
notices. He shall make and keep an accurate enrollment of the offi- 
cers, teachers, and scholars, and record the attendance each Sunday, 
making regular reports to the school and to this conference (or 
association) at the appointed time. He shall see that the teachers 
are supplied with necessary lesson helps, class books, and other 
material. 

5. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to receive all moneys con- 
tributed to the school and by the school, and to keep an accurate 
account of all receipts and disbursements. He shall make a monthly 
report to the school of class collections, and to the conference (or 
association) at each monthly meeting, of all receipts and expendi- 
tures. He shall pay out no money except on orders drawn on him by 
the superintendent and attested by the secretary. 

6. It shall be the duty of the librarian to have charge of the Sun- 
day-school library. He shall distribute the books according to 
regulations approved by the conference (or association). He shall 
make regular reports of the condition of the library. He shall appoint 
assistants, subject to the approval of the superintendent. 

7. It shall be the duty of the chorister to have charge of the music 
of the school, under the direction of the superintendent and subject 
to his control. 

8. The departmental superintendents, in codperation with the 
“superintendent of the school and the superintendent of religious 
education, shall be responsible for the conduct of their respective 
departments in conformity with such plans and policies as may be 
adopted from time to time by this conference (or association). 


10 145 


APPENDIX 


Article IV 
MEETINGS 


1. The regular meetings of this conference (or association) shall be 
held on the last evening of each month. The annual meeting shall be 
held upon the last evening of March of each year, so that all accounts 
shall correspond with the Church year. 

2. At the annual meeting the election of officers shall take place, 
and shall be by ballot. A majority of the whole number of votes cast 
shall be necessary to a choice. 

3. The name of the superintendent elected shall be submitted to 
the session of the church for its approval. If the session disapproves, 
a new election shall be held as soon as practicable. 

4. At this meeting annual written reports shall be presented by the 
officers. 

Article V 


STANDING COMMITTEES 


The standing committees shall consist of the following: Finance, 
Supplies, Library, Music, Visiting, and Missionary. 

1. The Committee on Finance shall consist of three members, 
whose duty it shall be to submit plans for raising money necessary for 
the support of the school, and, upon the approval of the conference 
(or association) to carry them into effect. 

2. The Committee on Supplies shall consist of three members, who 
shall have charge in coéperation with the secretary of the furnishing 
of books, papers, and all other materials for the use of the school. 

3. The Committee on Library shall consist of three members, 
whose duty it shall be to purchase books for the library when so ~ 
ordered by the conference (or association). The librarian shall be 
ex officio a member. 

4. The Committee on Music shall consist of three members who 
shall codperate with the chorister in all plans with reference to the 
music of the school and of all anniversaries and entertainments hg 
under the auspices of the school. 

5. The Committee on Visitation shall consist of —-——————-mem- 
bers, whose duty it shall be to arrange carefully for an annual canvass, 
for new scholars, of the entire district naturally belonging to the 
school, to secure visitors to make such canvass and to report the 
results to the conference (or association) at the annual meeting. 

6. The Missionary Committee shall consist of three members 
whose duty it shall be to devise plans for missionary instruction and 
to recommend various forms of missionary work in which the school 


146 


APPENDIX 


may engage. All missionary contributions should be appropriated 
by vote of the association, excepting the contributions given on spe- 
cial days such as Children’s Day, and so forth, which must be sent 
in their entirety to the cause for which the offering of that day has 
been requested. 


Article VI 
MEMBERSHIP 


Any person who has taught in the school four Sundays in succes- 
sion, by the invitation of the superintendent, may, upon nomination 
by the pastor and superintendent, be elected a member of the associa- 
tion and a teacher in the Sunday school. 


Article VII 
ORGANIZATION STANDARD 


The organization of the Sunday school shall conform as closely as 
conditions and equipment will permit to the Interdenominational 
Ten Point Sunday School Standard. 


Article VIII 
AMENDMENTS 


Amendments to this constitution may be made only at the regular 
monthly meetings, with the consent of three fourths of all the mem- 
bers present; provided, that notice of the same shall have been given 
at the previous meeting; provided, also, that such amendments shall 
be approved by the session of the church. 


Article IX 
Srssion’s APPROVAL 


This constitution, after its adoption by the association, shall be 
submitted to the session of the church for its approval, and thereupon 
shall become the law of the school. 


147 


APPENDIX D 
SUNDAY SCHOOL WORKERS’ LIBRARY 


CHILDREN’S DIVISION 


“The Cradle Roll Department,” by Elizabeth W. Sudlow. 
“Object Lessons for the Cradle Roll,” by Frances Weld Danielson. 
“The Beginners Department,” by Louise M. Oglevee. 

“How to Conduct a Beginners Department,” by Hazel A. Lewis. 
“Study of the Little Child for Teachers of Beginners,” by Mary T. 
Whitley. | 

“‘Lessons for Teachers of Beginners,” by Frances Weld Danielson. 

“The Primary Department,’’ by Phebe A. Curtiss. 

“Order of Service for the Primary Department,’’ by Mary E. Priest. 

“Methods for Primary Teachers,” by Hazel A. Lewis: 

“Primary Methods in the Church School,” by Alberta Munkres. 

“A Study of the Primary Child,” by Mary T. Whitley. 

“The Children’s Division of the Little Sunday School,” by Maud 
Junkin Baldwin. 

“The Juniors: How to Teach and Train Them,” by Maud Junkin 
Baldwin. 

“How to Conduct the Junior Department,” by Mrs. W. D. Van 
Voorhis. 

“A Study of the Junior Child,’ by Mary T. Whitley. 

“The Dawn of Religion in the Mind of the Child,’ by Edith E. R. 
Mumford. 

“The Dawn of Character,” by Edith E. R. Mumford. 

“The Unfolding Life,” by A. A. Lamoreaux. 

“A Study of Child Nature,” by Elizabeth Harrison. 

“Children’s Devotions,” by Gerrit Verkuyl. 

“Child Nature and Child Nurture,’”’ by Edward Porter St. John. 


YounaG PEOPLE’s Division 


“The Intermediate Department,”’ by Eugene C. Foster. 

“Problems of the Intermediate and Senior Teacher,” by Eugene C. 
Foster. 

“The Senior Boy,” by Eugene C. Foster. 


148 


APPENDIX 


“The Secondary Division Organized for Service,” by John L. 
Alexander. 

“Sunday School and the Teens,” edited by John L. Alexander. 

“The Religious Education of Adolescents,’ by Norman E. Richard- 
son. 

“The Boy Problem,” by William Byron Forbush. 

“The Girl in Her Teens,”’ by Margaret Slattery. 

“Girlhood and Character,”’ by Mary E. Moxcey. 

“Boy Life and Self-Government,” by George W. Fiske. 

“Psychology of Adolescence,” by Frederick Tracy. 

“Youth and the Churth,” by Cynthia P. Maus. 


ApuLT DIVISION 
“The Adult Bible Class,” by W. C. Pearce. 
“The Adult Department: Its Scope and Opportunity,” by Ida 5. 
Blick. 
“The Adult Division in the Church School,” by E. W. Halpenny. 
“Principles of Christian Service,” by Henry F. Cope. 
“The Ideal Adult Class,’’ by Amos R. Wells. 
‘‘ Adults in the Sunday School,” by Wm. S. Bovard. 
“The Home Department,” by Minnie K. L. Karnell. 


. TEACHER TRAINING METHODS 
“Talks with the Training Class,” by Margaret Slattery. 
“The Teacher Training Class,”’ by Emilie F. Kearney. 
‘The Seven Laws of Teaching,’ by John M. Gregory. 
“The Pupil and the Teacher,” by Luther A. Weigle. 
“Talks to Sunday School Teachers,” by Luther A. Weigle. 
“Use of Motives in Teaching Morals and Religion,” by Thomas W. 
Galloway. 
“The Educative Process,’ by William C. Bagley. 
« Jesus the Master Teacher,’’ by Herman H. Horne. 
“Pyndamentals of Child Study,” by Edwin A. Kirkpatrick. 
“Learning to Teach from the Master Teacher,”’ by John A. Marquis. 
“The Making of a Teacher,” by Martin G. Brumbaugh. 
“Self-Help in Teaching,’ by Huber W. Hurt. 
“How to Teach,” by G. D. Strayer and N. Norseworthy. 


BLACKBOARD AND OBJECT TEACHING 
“Crayon and Character,” by B. J. Griswold. 
“Chalk: What We Can Do with It,” by Ella N. Wood. 
149 


APPENDIX 


“Experimental Object Lessons,’”’ by Charlotte E. Gray. 
“Pictures in Religious Education,” by Frederica Beard. 
“Handwork in Religious Education,” by Addie G. Wardle. . 
‘‘Handwork in the Sunday School,” by Milton 8. Littlefield. 


MISSIONARY . 

“The Why and How of Missions in the Sunday School,” by William 
A. Brown. 

“Graded Missionary Education in the Church School,” by Frederica 
Beard. 

‘Missionary Education in the Sunday School,” by Ralph E. Diffen- 
dorfer. 

“Making Missions Real,” by Jay S. Stowell and others. 

“How to Interest Your Sunday School in Missions,” by Sue R. 
Staley. | 

“The Missionary Education of Juniors,” by J. Gertrude Hutton. 


MISCELLANEOUS . 
“ Devotional Life of the Sunday School Teacher,” by J. R. Miller, 
“The Church School,’’ by Walter S. Athearn. 
“Story Worship Programs for the Church School Year,” by Jay S. 
Stowell. , 
“Plans for Sunday School Evangelism,” by Frank L. Brown. 
“How to Run a Little Sunday School,” by E. Morris Fergusson. 
“The Child and His Religion,” by George E. Dawson. 
“Ethics for Children,” by Ella Lyman Cabot. 
“How to Teach Religion,’ by George H. Betts. 
“From Youth Into Manhood,” by Winfield S. Hall. 
“Religious Training in the School. and Home,”’ by E. H. Sneath, 
G. Hodges, and H. H. Tweedy. 
“Graded Social Service for the Sunday School,” by Wm. N. Hutchins. 
“Bible Atlas,” by Jesse L. Hurlbut. 
“Dictionary of the Bible,’ edited by John D. Davis. 
“Cruden’s Concordance,”’ by Alexander Cruden. 
“Historical Geography of the Holy Land,” by George Adam Smith. 
“Bringing the Pupil to a Decision for Christ,” by George G._Mahy. 
“The Successful Sunday School Superintendent,” by Amos R. Wells: 
“Ten Don’ts for Sunday School Teachers,” by Amos R. Wells. 
“The Week Day Church School,” by Walter Albion Squires. 
‘A Handbook for Daily Vacation Bible Schools,” by W. C. Smith, 
B. G. Jackson, and J. 8S. Armentrout. 


150 


APPENDIX 


“Religious Education in the Family,’ by Henry F. Cope. 
“Church and Sunday School Buildings,” by P. E. Burroughs. 
“The Charm of the Impossible,” by Margaret Slattery. 


STORIES FOR USE IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL 


“Dramatization of Bible Stories,” by Elizabeth E. Miller. 

“Missionary Stories for Little Folks,” First Series—Primary, by 
Margaret T. Applegarth. 

“Missionary Stories for Little Folks,’ Second Series—Junior, by 
Margaret T. Applegarth. 

“World Stories Retold,’ by William J. Sly. 

“Children’s Missionary Story Sermons,” by Hugh T. Kerr. 

“Friday’s Footprints,” by Margaret T. Applegarth. 

“Recitations and Dialogues for the Sunday School,” Series 1, by 
Mary E. Priest. 

“Recitations and Dialogues for the Sunday School,’ Series 2, by 
Mary E. Priest. 

“Sunday School Builders,” by John M. Somerndike. 

“The Use of the Story in Religious Education,’ by Margaret W. 
Eggleston. 


151 







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